Huw Edwards, one of the BBC’s highest-profile anchors and who was suspended last year over allegations of paying for explicit images, resigned from the broadcaster on Monday.
Mr. Edwards, 62, had led the BBC’s coverage of major national events, including the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. He started as a trainee in 1984, and by the end of his career he was the regular anchor of “BBC News at Ten.”
He was suspended by the BBC in July after The Sun tabloid newspaper reported that an unnamed anchor from the broadcaster had paid a teenager $45,000 for sexually explicit images, starting when the person was 17. Mr. Edwards’s wife later publicly identified her husband as the anchor in the report.
The age of consent in Britain is 16, but sharing or possessing indecent images of someone under 18 is a crime.
The police found last year that there was “no information to indicate that a criminal offense has been committed” and said they would take no further action.
A lawyer for the person who was said to have sent Mr. Edwards the images told the BBC that “nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place” and said that the allegations were “rubbish.”
“Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC,” the broadcaster said on Monday in a statement attributed to a spokesperson. “After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors. The BBC has accepted his resignation, which it believes will allow all parties to move forward. We don’t believe it appropriate to comment further.”
The statement did not address the allegations against Mr. Edwards.
At the time of the allegations, Mr. Edwards’ wife, Vicky Flind, said that her husband had been hospitalized with “serious mental health issues.”
The BBC faced criticism for not acting for seven weeks after receiving a complaint from the teenager’s mother. In February, the BBC apologized to the parents of the teenager, saying it had not acted quickly enough.
The revelations set off a media frenzy in Britain, even at the BBC itself.