Huw Edwards, who was today named as the presenter at the centre of the BBC scandal, has been a television broadcaster at the BBC for almost 40 years.
The 61-year-old has been one of the prominent faces of the news channel, reporting on big royal family events and important political moments.
On Wednesday evening, his wife Vicky Flind named him as the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images from a young person.
She said he was currently receiving in-patient treatment for mental health issues.
Away from his TV career, he has a big family, who have supported him through mental health issues.
Let’s take a look back at Edwards’ career and life off-camera…
Welsh roots
Edwards, whose first language is Welsh, graduated from the University College of Cardiff with a first-class honours degree in French.
His first media job came at Swansea Sound, where he worked as a local reporter in 1983. A year later he found his home at BBC, where he’d stay for the next four decades of his career.
Edwards stayed firmly in touch with his roots and wrote a thesis on Welsh Nonconformist chapels for a PhD degree. He also fronted a historical documentary series, The Story of Wales, for BBC Wales.
Primetime TV
He joined the broadcaster as a news trainee, before progressing to the Parliamentary Correspondent for BBC Wales. During the 12 years in this role, he reported on Margaret Thatcher’s resignment and the rise of Tony Blair.
In 1999, he took over as the host of the BBC Six O’Clock News and it became the most-watched programme in Britain.
He was once again promoted in 2003 to be the anchor on the BBC Ten O’Clock News.
Royal family
When big royal events are taking place, it is often Edwards who is trusted with leading the coverage on BBC. He played a significant role in Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, and the work went on to win a BAFTA for Best Coverage of a Live Event.
Edwards was also at the forefront of the coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, as well as the Diamond and Platinum Jubilees.
Breaking the news of the Queen’s death to the nation on BBC One fell to Edwards. He later wrote on Instagram: ‘My work is a privilege (Thank you for all your messages)’.
Following the monarch’s passing in September, he led coverage on the days following including the funeral.
Talking about holding it together during the ten days of broadcasting that followed the Queen’s death, Edwards revealed how he coped: ‘I ate a lot of bananas and I drank a lot of tea!
‘It’s funny because you think you’ve prepared yourself for The Queen passing away, but the reality of it was quite overwhelming.’
He continued to Good Housekeeping: ‘I kept saying to myself, “Is this really happening?” When it was all over, I went home and I sat in the garden on my own with a cup of tea and a Welsh cake.’
Most recently, Edwards covered King Charles’ coronation earlier this year.
Long-lasting marriage
Edwards is married to TV producer Vicky Flind, and the couple have five children together – three sons, Dan, Sammy, and Amos, and two daughters, Hannah and Rebecca. The family lives in London.
Vicky, once also worked for the BBC as editor of The Week Politics show, before moving rival ITV show Peston in 2016.
When asked for his advice on parenting, he told The Guardian: ’There’s a principle that your youngest child gets a far better crack of the whip than your eldest.
‘All your anxieties and inexperience and cluelessness as a parent are taken out on your eldest child. By the time you get to your youngest, in my case number five, you’re a brilliant parent,’ he responded.
‘So if you could give a parent all the patience and knowledge that they would have with their second or third child or whatever to the first, that’s the one piece of advice I’d give.’
Mental health
Edwards has described suffering from depression on and off throughout his adulthood.
‘I’m pretty clear that I have suffered – and do suffer – from depression,’ he told Men’s Health.
The mental health issues have left him unable to get out of bed.
‘At least I now know when I’m going to enter a phase like that. Your mind goes into a place where you don’t want to do anything. You can’t make any decisions.’
He added that his family has always supported him: ‘[I’m] relatively open [with my family] – they just accept [my depression] as part of who I am.’
James Bond cameo
Edwards popped up in the James Bond film Skyfall. He played himself and reported on a fictional attack on MI6.
His acting muscles were also flexed in Doctor Who episode Fear Her, where he played a commentator.
Edwards has also has the chance to just be himself – albeit a less serious version – on the comedy panel show Would I Lie to You?, and Mary Berry’s Christmas Party.
Voluntary pay cut
The broadcaster was once earning £550,000 – £599,999, but it was reduced voluntarily after gender pay differences were evened out.
By 2018, it went down to £520,000 – £529,999, before once again lowering to £410,000-£414,999 in 2021. In the most recent financial year, it rose up to £435,000-£439,999. He was the fifth-highest-paid BBC star in the most recent financial year.
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