Huw Edwards may helm BBC’s flagship News at Ten, but that doesn’t mean he avoids pre-broadcast jitters after 20 years in the job.
In fact, the Welsh newsreader has revealed that he’s already feeling the nerves ahead of King Charles III’s coronation in May, when he’ll be leading the BBC’s coverage.
Speaking to the Standard at the Royal Television Society Awards, the 61-year-old said: “I’m terrified.”
Edwards has a number of historic royal events during lustrous career, most recently the Queen’s death and state funeral, which earned him a RTS Live Event Award.
Despite being known for his composure, Edwards revealed how he relies on pep talks to overcome any nerves he may have before a big live broadcast.
He said: “The only thing you can do is say to yourself, ‘I’ve the experience. I’ve done things before, and they’ve gone OK’.
“So, you’ve got to tell yourself, ‘It’s going to be alright’.
“The moment you start getting slightly carried away with worrying about, ‘what was that?’ or ‘did I forget that?’ that’s when your system starts to work up, so you’ve got to calm it down.”
Edwards’ comments come after he admitted to making an “elementary error” when he reported on his first Trooping the Colour in 2003.
The BBC news anchor discussed his experience reporting on the royal family over the years in a new interview with Good Housekeeping.
Recalling the moment, he told the magazine: “There’s a huge responsibility to get it right and I’m always terrified of making a mistake.
“When I was presenting my first Trooping the Colour in 2003, I mixed up Sandhurst and Sandringham and my military friends couldn’t believe I’d made such an elementary error, but I was nervous and I slipped.”
Last year, Edwards also opened up on announcing the Queen’s death - and revealed that he only learned of the news 10 seconds before the rest of the UK.
Speaking with Radio Times at the time, the presenter said he was told by the gallery: “‘The announcement is here. Take your time. Speak when you are ready. Don’t rush’.”
