Huw Edwards once credited ‘sympathetic’ wife for helping him out of depression

Huw Edwards, who has been named as the TV star who is alleged to have paid £35,000 for photos from a 17-year-old over the last three years, has spoken in the past about how his wife Vicky Flind helped him through a previous bout of depression.

Describing how he felt during the incident the now-suspended newsreader said: “It’s not that I was in bed for days on end.

“The whole process of struggling to get out of bed is probably a better way of putting it. For weeks, I’d struggle.

“And basically, I needed Vicky telling me, ‘You need to get up, go and get a coffee, don’t talk to anyone if you don’t want to, but just go for a walk.’”

Huw made the remarks in a chat with Alastair Campbell for Men’s Health magazine last year.

Yesterday, TV Producer Vicky named him as the presenter at the centre of the scandal and revealed that he has been “suffering from serious mental health issues” and is now “receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future”, as she asked for privacy for her family.

Just minutes before he was named the Met Police had confirmed it had concluded its investigation and that no criminal offence had been committed.

In her statement, Vicky 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.”