Piers Morgan calls Huw Edwards a 'stand up guy' as he shares his shock at scandal

Piers Morgan has spoken out following Huw Edwards being named as the BBC presenter who allegedly bought sexually explicit images from a teenager.

Edwards' wife, Vicky Flind, came forward yesterday (12 July) and confirmed the journalist is the presenter mentioned in a report released by The Sun last week, which claimed a male BBC presenter paid a teenager up to £35,000 for sexually explicit images while they were in-between the ages of 17 and 20 - reportedly funding their drug habit.

Flind noted her husband has been experiencing 'serious mental health issues' and is now receiving 'in-patient hospital care'.

Fellow broadcaster Morgan has since addressed the naming of Edwards as the BBC presenter involved in the scandal.

BBC

During an episode of his show on Talk TV, Morgan reflected on Edwards as having been an 'authoritative' figure who's 'always been trusted'.

Morgan continued: "By all accounts, the audiences love him. I know him personally, he's always been a very stand up guy. But today's news that he is the presenter behind the BBC's sex picture scandal comes as a huge shock to everyone who knows him, maybe to his family, certainly to millions of people who are used to watching him on the news each night. Probably a shock to his colleagues at the BBC.

"[...] The speculation was becoming completely unsustainable. Many other BBC presenters were being shamed and vilified on social media, for something they had nothing to do with ... Viewers would have noticed Huw had vanished overnight from the nightly news bulletins.

Talk TV

"He is now in a very serious situation. He probably feels like he's losing everything."

Ultimately, Morgan noted he feels 'sorry for the situation [Edwards] is in,' but 'need to know more about what's been going on' before he makes any judgements.

Dan Walker - who worked with Edwards on BBC Breakfast - has similarly spoken out about the presenter, raising awareness of his mental health.

In a post to Twitter, the 5 News host said: "This is an awful situation & will come as a big shock to many.

"Huw Edwards is clearly not in a good place at the moment and this must be terrible for his family.

"I just hope that whoever needs help - on all sides of this - gets the time, space & support they need to heal."

BBC boss Tim Davie has also warned about the 'complex[ity]' of the investigation into the allegations.

Joe Maher/Getty Images

In an email to BBC staff, he said: "The Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police confirmed they would be taking no further action following an assessment of information provided to them.

"As you know, we were asked to pause our fact finding investigations until that assessment had been concluded. It is important we now continue with this work. I want to be clear that in doing so we will follow due process.

"This remains a very complex set of circumstances. As we have done throughout, our aim must be to navigate through this with care and consideration, in line with the BBC values."

If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone