TV personality Richard Madeley says he feels 'deeply sorry' for BBC presenter Huw Edwards after he was named at the centre of an alleged explicit images scandal.
The Sun newspaper broke the allegations that claimed a BBC presenter paid a teenager £35,000 in exchange for explicit images.
The teenager's mother claimed that she saw a picture of the presenter on her teenager's phone "sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear".
On Tuesday, July 12, Huw Edwards was named by his wife Vicky Flind as the BBC star that was investigated over the scandal.
She also revealed that the Welshman is suffering from "serious mental health issues" and is now "receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future."
Good Morning Britain's Richard expressed his sympathy for Huw, writing for the Express that he wishes him a "speedy recovery".
In a commentary piece for the paper, he wrote: "As you read this, Huw Edwards is a hospital inpatient being treated for 'serious mental health issues.'"
Richard went on to call the presenter a "troubled soul", adding "But the question stands: if these accusations are broadly true, were such reckless and ill-judged actions the symptoms and the result of an existing mental crisis, or is Huw Edwards' current mental collapse the consequence of those actions and the soul-shrivening humiliation of public discovery?"
"Perhaps it's both. In which case, I feel deeply sorry for such a troubled soul. I wish him a speedy and complete recovery."
Issuing a statement on her husband's behalf, his wife Vicky said that he will respond to the allegations when he is 'well enough to do so.'
She said: "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."
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that they "received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter, but no formal referral or allegation has been made."
They later added that no criminal offense has been committed by the BBC presenter facing the allegations.
A BBC spokesperson said: "We have seen the statement from the police confirming they have completed their assessment and are not taking further action. We're grateful to them for completing this work at speed.
"The police had previously asked us to pause our fact-finding investigations and we will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved."
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