Huw Edwards is in hospital with “serious mental health issues”, his wife says, as she named him as the BBC presenter at the centre of allegations.
His wife Vicky Flind said she was issuing a statement on his behalf after days of speculation “primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children”.
The Sun has claimed he paid a young person for sexually explicit images.
The Met Police says Edwards, 61, will not face any police action.
The family statement said the news presenter intends to respond to the allegations personally when he is well enough.
The statement read: “In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC Presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.
“Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.
“The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future.”
‘No offence committed’
In the statement issued through PA News, she said she hoped confirmation of Edwards’ identity would bring an end to speculation about BBC presenters unconnected to the allegations.
She said Mr Edwards “was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday”.
It appealed for privacy on behalf of their family, and said it was publicly documented that Edwards has suffered mental health problems previously.
Minutes before the family statement was published, a separate update was issued by the Met, which has been assessing the allegations in recent days after discussions with BBC executives.
It said: “Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command have now concluded their assessment and have determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed.
“In reaching this decision, they have spoken to a number of parties including the BBC and the alleged complainant and the alleged complainant’s family, both via another police force.”
It said detectives are “aware of media reporting of further allegations against the same individual” but has received “no specific details or information about these allegations… and therefore there is no police action at this time”.
The BBC said it would continue its “fact finding investigations” into the allegations. It had been put on hold at the Met’s request while it carried out its own enquiries.
A spokesperson for the corporation said: “We have seen the statement from the police confirming they have completed their assessment and are not taking further action. We’re grateful to them for completing this work at speed.
“The police had previously asked us to pause our fact finding investigations and we will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved.”
Watch: The latest on BBC presenter story… in under a minute
Edwards has worked for the BBC since the mid-1980s, rising from a trainee position to becoming one of BBC News’ most recognisable presenters.
As well as hosting the Ten O’Clock News on television, he has led coverage of major news events, such as elections and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The initial allegations, first reported on Friday, were that the presenter paid a young person for explicit photos, beginning when they were 17.
The paper’s source was the mother and step-father of the young person – but a letter issued on the young person’s behalf by a lawyer described their account as “rubbish”.
South Wales Police previously said it had told the young person’s family there was no criminal wrongdoing after being approached prior to their complaint to the BBC and account to the Sun.
In another statement on Wednesday, the force said it had recently carried out further inquiries and had found “no evidence that any criminal offences have been committed”.
On Tuesday, the BBC published an investigation after speaking to an individual in their 20s who said they said were sent abusive and menacing messages by the presenter.
The Sun then published another story claiming the presenter broke Covid lockdown rules in February 2021 to meet a 23-year-old he had met on a dating site, and sent what they described as “quite pressurising” messages.
The newspaper also published what it says is an Instagram chat between the presenter and a 17-year-old, where the presenter sent messages including love heart emojis.
The BBC has not been able to verify these messages.
Despite allegations emerging publicly and being widely discussed, media outlets – including BBC News – initially took the decision not to name the presenter due to privacy concerns.
But the absence of an identification led to speculation on social media, which saw some other male BBC presenters with no connection to the claims wrongly accused of involvement.
The statement by Huw Edwards’s wife on his behalf means his name is now the public domain.
