Huw Edwards named as BBC presenter at centre of scandal
Denise Welch has shared her horror at “nameless trolls who can create unfounded conspiracy theories” in the wake of Huw Edwards’ wife Vicky Flind confirming claims that the BBC presenter allegedly paid thousands of pounds to receive explicit pictures from a teenager.
The Loose Women host said it is now “terrifying to be in the public eye” as “accusations can go unchecked” on social media allowing “anyone with a grudge” to make cruel and untrue comments.
In her column for the Daily Mirror, Denise typed: “In less than a week, pretty much every male BBC presenter has had their name trending on Twitter and Nicky Campbell has now made a crime report to the police after being falsely accused of being the male BBC presenter at the centre of the storm.
“Nicky’s was among a number of names bandied around as social media rushed to speculate on the presenter’s identity.
“The vitriol aimed at these presenters online has been intense and I cannot comprehend how it must feel to wake up in the morning and see your name associated with something so traumatic.
“It terrifies all of us in the industry,” she added.
It comes as Huw will remain in hospital while suffering from “serious mental health issues”, his wife confirmed on Wednesday.
The presenter has previously spoken at length about his struggles with depression and anxiety.
In a statement given to the media, his wife shared: “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.”
A spokesperson for the BBC 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.”
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