Huw Edwards' fall from grace as BBC apologises to family at heart of sex scandal

Huw Edwards has been noticeably missing from our screens for six months after being suspended from the BBC amidst allegations of giving over £35,000 to a younger individual since they were 17.

Last July, it was first reported that a family filed a complaint with the BBC about an unnamed presenter, who was later identified as Huw by his wife.

Recently, specialists at Deloitte conducted a non-editorial complaints review and have recommended that the BBC improve the way it handles and escalates complaints.

Leigh Tavazia, the BBC Group Chief Operating Officer, acknowledged the shortcomings, saying: "The initial complaint in this case was not escalated quickly enough to senior management and we have apologised to the complainant for this."

On May 18, 2023, a family member made a formal complaint about Huw in a BBC building. The BBC sent them an email response but didn't receive a reply from the family.

The issue then heated up when the same family approached The Sun, claiming that their grievances weren't taken seriously. This led to a thorough inspection into Huw, as well as the corporation's methods of addressing public complaints.

A lawyer for the young person said in a letter given to the BBC that nothing “unlawful or inappropriate” had happened with the presenter.

On the evening of July 7, 2023, news broke of an unnamed BBC employee being accused of allegedly paying a teenager more than £35,000 for sexually explicit pictures.

One week later, on July 12, Edwards' wife Vicky Flind named him as the man at the centre of the allegations in a statement issued on his behalf. It 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."

Vicky said the events had "greatly worsened matters" and Edwards was receiving "in-patient hospital care" for the "foreseeable future" after another "serious episode".

Edwards, who started working at the BBC as a news trainee in 1984, presented the main Six O'Clock News, Ten O'Clock News and was a key presenter at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. He was also the newsreader who announced Queen Elizabeth's death in September 2022 and led the BBC's coverage of the official mourning period and her funeral.

Edwards has been missing from TV since his last BBC News appearance on July 5, 2023. The allegations against him led the broadcaster to suspend him. In December, insiders claimed there might not be a future at the BBC for him.

A source told The Mirror: "For a long time Huw's was one of the main images. We are not expecting to see it back."

However, a BBC representative said the removal of Edwards’ image happened before his suspension and wasn't connected to recent events. They stated: "We urge people not to speculate. We will not provide a commentary on how things might stand." Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie’s pictures were also taken down in the same timeframe, they added.

Former BBC chief political correspondent John Sergeant said Huw was unhappy with how the situation had been handled. He said on GB News in November: "I've heard from some people that he's just very cross. He's very honest about the way he's treated, very cross about what's happened, but I mean, the overall result is just so sad.”

Edwards was reported in January of this year as being “too unwell” to discuss his future at the BBC as he was still recuperating from a “serious episode”. It remains unknown whether the 62-year-old is still hospitalised.