BBC presenter at centre of sex photo scandal named as lead anchor Edwards

One of Britain’s leading television news anchors, Huw Edwards, was named by his wife on Wednesday as the BBC presenter facing allegations he paid a young person thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos, the broadcaster reported.

One of Britain's leading television news anchors, Huw Edwards, was named by his wife on Wednesday as the BBC presenter facing allegations he paid a young person thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos, the broadcaster reported.

Edwards announced the death of Queen Elizabeth to the nation in September and has led coverage of the biggest events in Britain since the turn of the century, including elections, royal weddings and the 2012 Olympics.

His wife, Vicky Flind, said she was making a statement out of concern for Edwards' mental health and to protect their children, after the initial report by the Sun newspaper dominated the news agenda and sparked days of speculation.

"Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years," Ms. Flind said in a statement, according to the BBC.

"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."

The story first broke on Friday when the Sun tabloid reported a leading BBC presenter had paid a young person 35,000 pounds ($45,000) for explicit photos over three years, beginning when the person was 17.

The BBC suspended the presenter but did not name him. Several BBC stars then took to social media to say they were not involved after speculation swirled online.