Huw Edwards: the Welshman hosting coverage of Queen’s funeral

Huw Edwards is facing one of the toughest challenges of his career as anchor of the BBC’s coverage of the Queen’s funeral today.

The veteran broadcaster has been at the centre of the BBC’s news programming following Elizabeth II’s death ten days ago. Some viewers have expressed “concern” about Edwards’ well-being after noticing that one of his eyes appeared “bloodshot”, the Daily Express reported.

Now, he and Tom Bradby are going “head-to-head” as the BBC and ITV “battle it out for viewers of their coverage of the Queen’s funeral”, said the Daily Mail. Asked during an interview with Men’s Health earlier this year how he would react if asked to report on the death of Her Majesty, Edwards said: “You have to get the tone right – and in many cases it’s not an obvious thing to get right. It’s easy to slip in a word or a phrase that’s not meant in an offensive way but kicks off.”

Edwards was born in Bridgend in Wales in 1961 and brought up in Llangennech, near Llanelli. His mother was a teacher and his father was a Plaid Cymru and Welsh language activist, author and academic of some renown. During an interview with former Downing Street spin doctor Alastair Campbell, now a mental health columnist at Men’s Health magazine, Edwards said that his father “was absent most of the time when I was growing up”.

“When we did see him, he tended to be unbelievably tired and ratty,” he added.

Edwards was educated at Llanelli Boys’ Grammar School and studied French at Cardiff’s University College. After graduating with first-class honours, he became a reporter for local radio station Swansea Sound, before joining the BBC as a trainee in 1984.

Two years later, he became parliamentary correspondent for BBC Wales. A meteoric rise through the ranks followed. Edwards presented the BBC Six O’Clock News, between 1999 and 2003, when it was the most watched news programme in Britain, before becoming the host of the Ten O’Clock News on BBC One.

He is married to TV producer Vicky Flind, who has worked on the BBC’s This Week and ITV’s Peston. They have five children together and live in Dulwich, London.

Edwards has battled depression for 20 years and has spoken candidly about how it has affected his career. “It’s not anxiety, although it includes anxiety, but it tends to hit me in a strong wave and then go away,” he told Campbell for Men’s Health.