Yahoo News Huw Edwards unlikely to be back on screen for many months, friend says
'I'd love to think he would be behind that desk again in a few weeks,' friend says
A friend of BBC presenter Huw Edwards has said he believes it will be a long time before the broadcaster returns to British screens.
Andrew Billen, who writes for The Times, said he wasn't sure whether Edwards would have the same career following allegations made by The Sun last week.
On Wednesday, Edwards was named as the BBC presenter accused by the Sun of paying a young person, now aged 20, for sexual images.
The newspaper’s initial report - published on 7 July - suggested that this had started when the individual was 17 - a potentially serious criminal offence, leading the BBC to launch an investigation into its handling of a complaint that was initially raised by the parents of the person in May.
The police has since said no criminal act took place, while the Sun subsequently claimed its initial report did not allege any criminality had taken place, and the BBC is now conducting an internal investigation.
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"I'd love to think he would be behind that desk again in a few weeks or months and presenting the election night, but I somehow doubt it," Billen told Sky News.
"I really hope he will have a career in broadcasting beyond this... And if not that then maybe a job in academia.
"But he's got to get past what is clearly a severe mental breakdown at the moment."
Edwards' wife, Vicky Flind, announced that Edwards was the presenter at the centre of the scandal following almost a week of speculation that prompted several high-profile presenters to issues statements denying their involvement.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Flind 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."
Edwards has reportedly been upset by the coverage, with friends saying "he feels let down" by how the story has been reported.
"You can be a very highly paid and very famous and very respected television presenter and be a vulnerable person too. I think we have found that poor Huw is very vulnerable," Billen added.
His comments come as a survey by YouGov found 60% of people think the media has focused too much on the story and just 15% saying they believe the media has focused the right amount on the issue.
Despite three current and former BBC employees claiming they had received what they deemed to be inappropriate messages from the presenter - who is the corporation's highest-paid newsreader - there has been a visible public and media backlash over reporting of the story.
The Guardian described the reaction to Edwards as a "feeding frenzy", while numerous high-profile friends and fans of Edwards shared their public support after his wife revealed that he was receiving hospital care for his mental health issues.
One former colleague, Jon Sopel, said in an interview with Andrew Marr on LBC radio: "Look, I think it's been a brutal time for him. There was no criminality. And if there was no criminality, which we've had confirmed by the Metropolitan Police, what are you left with?"
