Huw Edwards Resigns From BBC On “Medical Advice From His Doctors”

Max Goldbart
·1-min read

Huw Edwards has resigned from the BBC, almost a year after reports claimed that the newsreader had paid a young person for sexually explicit images.

“Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC,” said a statement from the broadcaster.

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“After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors. The BBC has accepted his resignation which it believes will allow all parties to move forward.”

One of the BBC’s most high-profile newsreaders, who also fronted its election coverage, Edwards was revealed to be the subject of a Sun exposé about a ‘BBC presenter’ who had allegedly paid a young person around £30,000 ($38,000) for indecent images last summer. He was named on July 12 by his wife Vicky Flind, who said at the time the presenter was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and was receiving in-patient hospital care.

Director General Tim Davie soon after ordered two reviews into the matter – one on BBC complaints processes and the other a ‘factfinding investigation.’

One of those reviews, published two months ago, found that the BBC had not “considered the potential wider significance” of the complaint against Huw Edwards when it was logged last May.” The review made for uncomfortable reading for the nation’s public broadcaster and it apologized to the complainant.

The Edwards debacle dominated front pages for weeks amid wider debates around the behavior of presenters. It came around the time that ITV’s former This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield resigned after admitting to an affair with a younger colleague.

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