Huw Edwards' wife Vicky Flind has named the presenter as the BBC star at the centre of an explicit pictures row as she confirmed that the Welsh journalist was now in hospital being treated for mental health difficulties.
In a statement to the PA News agency, she said: "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.
"Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published. To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday. In the circumstances and given Huw's condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected. I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end."
© Jeff OversWhat is Huw Edwards accused of?
The BBC has been facing a wave of criticism following a story published in the Sun on Friday which said that a "household name" presenter for the corporation had paid a 20-year-old £35,000 for explicit images for a number of years, starting when they were 17.
The publication spoke to the person's mother, but her version of events was disputed by a lawyer acting for the young person.
© NOBLE/DRAPERFurther allegations were made on Tuesday, when the BBC reported that a second young person had come forward saying the presenter had pressured them into meeting with them and claiming that they were sent abusive messages when they threatened to reveal their identity.
There had been waves of speculation ahead of the naming of Huw with several BBC journalists including Rylan Clark and Jeremy Vine taking to social media pages to confirm that they weren't the presenter in question. When BBC Breakfast star Jon Kay headed on a temporary break, he shared a message with fans beforehand so he wouldn't be thought of as the presenter.
© Draper/NobleWhat have the police said?
The Metropolitan Police were called in to investigate whether they had been any criminal wrongdoing from Huw's actions. Minutes before the star's wife released her statement, they released a statement confirming no further action would be taken.
"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," they said. "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. There is no further police action. As such, the Met has advised the BBC it can continue with its internal investigation."
© David M. BenettThe statement concluded: "We are aware of media reporting of further allegations against the same individual. No specific details or information about these allegations have been passed to us and therefore there is no police action at this time. Should evidence of criminality or safeguarding issues be identified at any point we would expect matters to be referred to the relevant police force."
Huw has been a mainstay on the BBC for four decades and is the main presenter for the programme's main news show, the News at 10. Last September, he broke the news of the Queen's death to BBC viewers and anchored coverage of her passing and her State Funeral.
