Sun journalist lands dream date with ‘weird crush’ BBC news presenter Huw Edwards
The 'Welsh wonder' invited Sun journalist Olivia Brett on a 'date' after she compared him to a 'fit head teacher'
IT’S not every day a girl gets to go on a date with her number one celebrity crush.
But then again, not every girl’s celebrity crush is BBC1 newsreader Huw Edwards.
I found myself sipping coffee with the Welsh wonder himself, after revealing in Friday’s Sun that he is my “weird crush”.
I’ve been a, ahem, Huw-ge fan of the twinkly Beeb man for many years now, and wrote that he reminded me of a “fit head teacher”, who could “read the phone book and make it sexy”.
Sure, it’s not a conventional way to get a date — but it turned out to be way more effective than Tinder.
Huw saw my article, and after tweeting his thanks, promptly invited me out for a drink.
As I turned up to meet him at the BBC’s London HQ I could hear my heart banging like Big Ben’s dongs — but it turned out that Huw, 56, was the nervous one.
“Sorry, I’m babbling,” he wittered. “I’ve never been very good at this!”
Well, Huw, I have to beg to differ. I could stare at those baby blue eyes — and famously expressive eyebrows — from BBC Breakfast all the way through to Newsnight.
Although 30 years my senior, he had clearly made an effort for our date, turning up in a snappy suit and sexy navy tie.
But when I realised that the venue he had picked was none other than the BBC canteen, I was a little disappointed.
“So the BBC cafe, is this your idea of a romantic date?” I asked him.
Huw replied: “You know what, not everyone I meet makes it past the front door.
“You’ve made it past security and into the canteen, you’re in the inner sanctum, that’s special.”
I certainly felt special when he fetched my favourite green tea and asked loads of questions about me — what a gent.
But as we chatted, I got the feeling that Huw never knew he was a sex symbol before he read my piece in The Sun.
Well have I got Huws for you, I told him — you’re hot!
He blushed: “I have to say I was very proud when I read I was your crush.
“It certainly upped my street cred with my kids who usually think I’m an embarrassment.” Ah yes, the kids.
Five of them, and family man Huw is clearly still head-over-heels in love with his wife of around 25 years, TV editor Vicky Flind.
Still, I hid my disappointment while Huw was still chirping joyfully about Friday’s story on Sun writers’ unlikely crushes. He said: “None of the other newsreaders got a mention, did they?
“I suspect John Humphrys was jealous, oh, and George Alagiah, although he would never admit it, would be steaming. He usually gets all the attention from the ladies.”
So how does he stay looking so damn good?
Huw admitted: “I don’t have any beauty secrets, but I have taken up boxing.
“I’ve always battled with my weight, until I found boxing.
“Now I do three sessions a week and feel great.”
All that boxing training is working — Huw’s a knockout.
As an avid fan of what I like to call the Huws At Ten, I’ve noticed that my favourite newsreader has his own signature pose — left arm to the side, right elbow forward and big lean.
It’s what I tune in for, I told him, so could he teach me how to do it too?
Huw said: “Everyone always wants to know the secret to the Huw lean, and I don’t give these tips away lightly.”
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I’ll keep the secret but let’s just say, if we wanted to send a joint Christmas card, we’ve already got the perfect pose.
Finally, it was time to say goodbye, but while romance might not be on the cards, I know I’ve made a great friend.
I’ll always treasure the day my weird crush asked me out — Huw would have thought it?
Huw's verdict
BEING named as a ‘weird crush’ isn’t something you get very often at my age.
It’s definitely given me a boost.
I thought, ‘It’s Christmas, the season of good will, I’ll accept the date and see.’
Well, we’ve had a nice time, a very nice time. I’ve very much enjoyed it.