My first instinct was to protect him... I was being deeply manipulated

Star 'paid teen to leave country as story broke'

- TOM BRYANT & ADAM ASPINALL

ON a rainy, windswept night in Cardiff city centre, a teenager in a tracksuit was sheltering inside a takeaway when he gazed up at the TV behind the counter.

He saw Huw Edwards reading the news and on the spur of the moment decided to send him a message via social media. He couldn't believe it when the BBC star replied.

He says now: "Looking back, I almost wish he hadn't."

It sparked a devastating chain of events. The two men would find themselves at the centre of one of the biggest scandals of 2023 which led to Edwards leaving his job after 40 years.

The man's story, told to the Mirror in his own words, sheds new light on the saga, including fresh questions about the star's behaviour in allowing himself to become entangled with a then-vulnerable young person.

And it highlights what some might consider a gross abuse of power by the presenter.

The Mirror first sat down with the man last July, alongside his biological father, in the aftermath of Edwards being admitted to hospital because of his mental health.

The man spoke about how he ended up in the rundown burger bar that night.

Then a teenager, he had a fractious relationship with his mum and step-dad and had messaged Edwards as well as MPs and celebrities including Love Island stars - after moving out and becoming homeless.

His mother found the messages to Edwards after he moved back home again and tried to raise the alarm with the BBC then via the Sun.

He has since left home once more and remains estranged from his mum.

Six months ago, talking alongside his dad, the man said: "I told [Edwards] about my troubled home life and he felt really bad for me.

I told him how I struggled with depression." He added that they only exchanged flirty messages but nothing sexual.