Veteran news anchor Huw Edwards was on Wednesday revealed by his wife as the BBC presenter accused of paying for explicit images but police said no criminal offence had been committed.
The furore has been front-page news and leading radio and television news bulletins in British media for six successive days.
It comes after the publicly funded BBC -- whose brand is built on public trust -- was rocked in recent years by scandals which saw some of their biggest names revealed as serial sex offenders.
But while traditional media outlets -- bound by strict privacy and defamation laws -- did not name the presenter, there was frenzied speculation on social media as to who it was.
Confirming his identity, Edwards' wife Vicky Flind said her husband was "suffering from serious mental health issues" and was now "receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future".
At the same time, London's Metropolitan Police said there was "no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed".
Edwards, 61, is one of the most recognisable faces on UK television, and was the man entrusted with telling the world that Queen Elizabeth II had died.
The BBC has been under the spotlight since allegations emerged last week in The Sun newspaper from the parents of a young adult, who said that the presenter had paid for explicit images of their child.
The young adult, however, called the claims "rubbish".
The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid newspaper, a longtime critic of the BBC, accused the corporation of failing to properly investigate the claims, sparking another crisis at the national broadcaster.
- Media 'war' -
Edward's wife said she was revealing his identity "after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family" and was doing so "primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children".
"Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published," she added in a statement, saying that he only learned of the allegations on Thursday.
Media experts warned that attention could soon switch to The Sun after the police statement threw serious doubt on the parents' claims of criminality.
"The question mark here is around the specific allegation made" of criminality, said media lawyer Matthew Gill of Howard Kennedy LLP.
"Now, it's unclear from The Sun's reporting whether they had any concrete evidence," he added, warning they could potentially face a defamation suit.
Murdoch and the BBC have a long history of friction, with media industry publication Press Gazette calling the current claim and counter-claim "a war between two of the UK's leading news publishers".
"This episode can now only result with either News UK-owned The Sun or the BBC having their credibility severely diminished," it added.
Further claims have since been made against Edwards, as three more people came forward with complaints over the last two days.
The BBC itself reported on Tuesday that another person in their 20s had come forward to say they received threatening messages from the presenter.
The Sun claimed that he may have broken Covid lockdown rules to meet another young person he met on a dating site.
The alleged pandemic breach has a particular resonance in the UK as the BBC was at the time reporting on the country's third lockdown and how it was being enforced.
Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street also led to the long-running "Partygate" scandal that contributed to the downfall of former prime minister Boris Johnson.
A fourth person also told The Sun the star sent messages containing hearts and kisses on Instagram when they were aged 17.
The first claims emerged in an article published Friday, in which the parents said the presenter had paid a total of £35,000 ($45,000) for the pictures.
The family said their child had used the money to fuel a crack cocaine addiction, prompting lawyers acting for the young person to deny the claims.
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