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LONDON — The presenter on the coronary heart of one of many BBC’s greatest crises in years has been recognized as Huw Edwards, a TV broadcaster whose distinctive Welsh lilt has been the voice of a few of Britain’s most historic moments and who’s now going through allegations that he paid for sexually specific photos from a teen.
In keeping with an announcement launched Wednesday on his behalf by his spouse, Vicky Flind, the BBC information anchor is “affected by severe psychological well being points” and “is now receiving in-patient hospital care the place he’ll keep for the foreseeable future.”
The temporary assertion didn’t tackle in any element the allegations made towards Edwards over the previous 5 days. “As soon as effectively sufficient to take action, he intends to answer the tales which have been printed,” his spouse stated.
She requested for the media to respect the household’s privateness — and added that Edwards “was first advised that there have been allegations being made towards him final Thursday.”
Edwards is a celeb information reader and extra recognizable on the road than a star footballer. He’s well-known for his measured supply — old-school, even a bit uninteresting, a critic would possibly say, however with a voice as comforting as a cup of tea. Just like the documentarian David Attenborough, Edwards was seen as a sort of nationwide treasure for the general public broadcaster, a jewel within the BBC crown.
When the royal household was gathering on the bedside of Queen Elizabeth II, the BBC decided that it ought to be Edwards who would narrate the announcement of her demise. He wasn’t on obligation that day, however was tracked down at a barbershop and advised to get able to go on air in his black swimsuit and tie.
Edwards, 61, is now on the opposite aspect of a significant information story.
Scotland Yard’s Specialist Crime Command stated Wednesday that it had concluded an evaluation and located no proof of a criminal offense dedicated by Edwards.
In Britain, it’s unlawful to make or possess sexualized photos of anybody below 18.
Following the police assertion, the BBC stated it will proceed its personal in-house investigation into the matter.
The case has dominated the U.Ok. media sphere for days with a feverish drip, drip, drip of reporting on its numerous twists and turns. The BBC information has been live-blogging its personal scandal.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weighed in over the weekend — at a degree when his spokesman stated the British chief didn’t know the identify of the accused — describing the allegations as “surprising” and “regarding.”
Edwards is likely one of the public community’s highest-paid stars. He has been a fixture on British tv for many years, a throwback to an earlier age when a trusted voice — a British model of Walter Cronkite — was the calm in the midst of the information storms.
It was Edwards who snagged President Barack Obama’s solely U.Ok. interview within the spring earlier than the Brexit vote. It was Edwards who anchored the royal weddings, the protection of the queen’s funeral in September and the coronation of King Charles III in Could.
And every night at 10 p.m. — from 2003 till he quietly disappeared this month — he was the silver-haired presence with gravitas within the chair for the BBC’s flagship nightly information program.
The scandal first broke on Friday, when the Solar tabloid reported a mom’s accusations {that a} male BBC presenter — who was initially not recognized, however described variously as a “star” and “family identify” — despatched her baby a complete of 35,000 kilos ($45,000) for sexual photos since 2020, when the younger individual was 17. The mom blamed the person and the BBC for funding her baby’s use of crack cocaine.
The BBC stated in an announcement on Sunday that it “first grew to become conscious of a grievance in Could,” however that “new allegations have been put to us on Thursday of a distinct nature.”
On Monday, a lawyer representing the younger individual issued a denial assertion, saying “nothing inappropriate or illegal has taken place between our shopper and the BBC character and the allegations reported within the Solar newspaper are garbage.”
The mom and stepfather stood by their earlier accounts.
On Tuesday, two different younger folks got here ahead with complaints in regards to the presenter. One, of their early 20s, advised BBC Information that the broadcaster had despatched them “abusive, expletive-filled messages.” The Solar additionally reported {that a} third individual, age 23, claimed the presenter broke lockdown guidelines to fulfill them through the covid pandemic.
The contemporary claims led to different presenters urging Edwards to return ahead — to finish all of the wild hypothesis about which BBC determine was behind the scandal.
“These new allegations will end in but extra vitriol being thrown at completely harmless colleagues of his. And the BBC, which I’m positive he loves, is on its knees with this,” BBC radio host Jeremy Vine tweeted.
Gone are the times when British newspapers would gleefully identify these accused of allegations, with out fretting an excessive amount of about privateness and defamation legal guidelines.
The BBC company withheld his identify, citing privateness protections. The police didn’t publicly share the identify after they started to look into the case. In Britain, police typically don’t identify a suspect till they’re detained or charged with a criminal offense.
Edwards has beforehand spoken about his bouts with despair and stated that train, specifically boxing, helped together with his bodily and psychological well-being. He documented his health and weight reduction journey on Instagram — on an account that has since been deleted.
“I couldn’t get away from bed. I didn’t need to go to work. I didn’t need to communicate to anyone,” he advised the Day by day Telegraph of his struggles with despair, which he stated began in 2002. “And naturally, the problem was it’s a must to keep a public picture, that’s — you’re a widely known face. Every time I needed to go stay on air, I’d actually have to inform myself — come on now, you’ll be okay now. You simply should do it, and I simply needed to push myself in a approach.”
It was arguably his report of the queen’s demise that introduced him most acclaim. Almost 10 million folks tuned in at 6.30 p.m. when Edwards stated that the queen had handed away “peacefully” in Balmoral, Scotland. It was a line he had practiced many instances earlier than, reportedly within the lavatory mirror.
Chatting with the Radio Instances about that second, he stated: “I used to be unhappy. … It was the top of an period in British historical past, the top of a presence that has been with many individuals all through their complete lives.”
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