Coronavirus: BBC newsreader Huw Edwards 'had Covid-19'

BBC newsreader Huw Edwards has revealed he was off work for three weeks recovering from suspected coronavirus.

Writing in Welsh-language publication Barn, he said he developed symptoms while walking in Kent in mid-March. The UK lockdown was announced on 23 March.

While he was not tested for the virus, he said a doctor who treated him was "totally convinced it was Covid-19".

Edwards said he returned to work after a period of rest "having fully understood what the illness was".

He had been out on a 10-mile walk between Faversham and Seasalter, which he said he usually found "easy enough".

"But the return journey was much more of a problem for me," he wrote.

"I developed pains in my legs, hips and shoulders. The walk - although slow - was very hard and I almost missed my train back to London.

"And that's where I started showing signs of pneumonia, and the doctor was totally convinced it was Covid-19 at the root of it, although I wasn't tested to confirm it formally.

"I returned to work after three weeks of rest having fully understood what the illness was."

In December, Edwards revealed he had undergone a physical and mental "transformation" since taking up boxing training.

The newsreader also defended the impartiality of the BBC, saying it was attacked equally by those on the right and the left.

Concluding, and speaking about the future of the BBC, he said the "contribution and reach" of the corporation was "undeniable" and that it had always been the "convenient whipping servant for politicians of all colours".