Huw Edwards Leaving BBC on “Medical Advice” After 40-Year Career

Huw Edwards, a longtime British TV presenter and host of the BBC‘s flagship News at Ten program until July 2023, has resigned.

On Monday, the U.K. pubcaster said Edwards took medical advice before deciding to officially resign from the BBC after stepping away nine months ago following a June 2023 report from The Sun that alleged Edwards had paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos.

“Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC. After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors,” a BBC spokesperson said in a short statement. “The BBC has accepted his resignation, which it believes will allow all parties to move forward. We don’t believe it appropriate to comment further.”

Shortly after The Sun report, in July 2023, Edwards stepped away from his BBC hosting duties. His wife, Vicky Flind, in a statement, said he faced “serious mental health issues” after he had been treated for severe depression in recent years and that The Sun alleging that Edwards had requested the teen photos led to the news presenter’s hospitalization. At the time, the British police said they had completed an investigation in the wake of the tabloid allegations, which included talking to the teen complainant and her family, and would take no action against Edwards.

Edwards had been the face of the pubcaster’s news broadcasting after steadily rising up the ranks since joining the broadcaster in 1984.

He hosted the BBC’s coverage of many landmark royal events, including the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the funeral of Prince Philip, the death and state funeral of Elizabeth II and the coronation of Charles III and Camilla. He was also among the BBC’s best-paid TV hosts.