Edwards, one of British television's most prominent figures, is "suffering from serious mental health issues" and "receiving inpatient hospital care, where he'll stay for the foreseeable future", his wife said in a statement yesterday.
Vicky Flind confirmed that her husband was the man in question after rumours had swirled on social media for five days. Shortly before her comments, two police forces had said there was no evidence that Edwards had committed a criminal offence.
Flind said the allegations "greatly worsened matters" for Edwards, who had suffered from severe depression in recent years. He would respond to the allegations when well enough, she said, adding that he was "deeply sorry" that colleagues had been dragged into the story.
The Sun alleged in a front-page story that the presenter had paid a young person, now aged 20, for photographs. The tabloid suggested this started when the individual was 17 - a potentially serious criminal offence. Officers at Scotland Yard have now concluded no evidence exists to support this allegation, leaving the Sun facing questions about its reporting. South Wales police also believes there is no criminal case to answer.
The young person's lawyer allegedly told the Sun last week that the story was "rubbish" and no illegal activity had taken place, although the tabloid did not publish this denial until Monday night.
Last night, the Sun denied its story ever alleged criminality had taken place, saying "suggestions about possible criminality were first made at a later date by other media outlets, including the BBC". It would "cooperate with the BBC's internal investigation process" into the issue and provide "a confidential and redacted dossier containing serious and wide-ranging allegations ... including some from BBC personnel".
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