The BBC is paying for therapy of a vulnerable woman Huw Edwards met online and whom he nicknamed “KitKat” who made two complaints about him to the corporation, the Sunday Times has reported.
The woman, a member of the public named Rachel then in her 40s, complained in May 2021 and January 2022, but retracted her complaints on both occasions. The BBC warned Edwards about his online conduct and told him to cease contact, which he did not, the paper said.
Edwards’ manager told him within hours of the first complaint, without telling the newsreader who the complainant was, but the corporation later acknowledged the woman “would have been identifiable” to Edwards.
The woman alleges Edwards called her to pressurise her into retracting the first complaint, with emails between the pair showing Edwards appearing to dictate her responses to the BBC, the Sunday Times reported. This pattern was repeated with her second complaint seven months later, when she also told the BBC that Edwards put pressure on her into retracting the first one.
Before she retracted her first complaint, the woman handed the BBC messages between the pair which included explicit images she had voluntarily sent Edwards, the paper reported. She felt he encouraged these by taking screenshots, reacting with gratitude and giving her the sexually suggestive nickname “KitKat”.
A BBC manager is said to have met Edwards on 23 February 2022, again warning him to stop contact, but the correspondence continued until the presenter was taken off air last year. The BBC investigated its handling of Rachel’s complaint and in a summary of its findings admitted it “could have” warned Edwards “more formally”, the paper reported.
The presenter admitted having indecent images of children last week, and the corporation was aware he was arrested on “suspicion of serious offences” in November. He will next appear in court on 16 September. He had been suspended on a salary of between £475,000 and £479,999 in July 2023 after allegations in the Sun unrelated to the criminal charges. He resigned from the broadcaster in April and was formally charged with criminal offences in June.
Rachel and Edwards, who have never met, struck up an online friendship after she messaged him on Instagram in 2018. Rachel initially said she feared she was being “catfished” by someone posing as the newsreader, so she asked him to wear a pink tie one night to read the news. He later messaged her saying that “the tie was for you”.
The woman first contacted the BBC three years ago to halt the relationship, alleging it was becoming “toxic”, as he refused to meet her and would become angry. The papers reported she said she was struggling mentally and was not strong enough to end the relationship. She twice asked him to cease contact, including by blocking her, but he did not do so and they continued messaging.
Before she learned of his arrest, Rachel messaged Edwards and was warned to cease contact by his lawyers, it was reported. They have previously told the Sunday Times he was unable to comment on these “unsubstantiated” allegations. The BBC agreed this year to pay for Rachel to receive therapy, saying it was due to the slow handling of her complaint, and last week indicated it would fund 12 further sessions, the paper said.
