STV news boss resigns over 'mental health' issues

Steven Ladurantaye joined STV from Canadian broadcaster CBC two years ago

STV's head of news and current affairs has resigned for "mental health" reasons, the broadcaster has confirmed.

Steven Ladurantaye joined STV two years ago from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

The announcement came as The Times newspaper reported allegations of inappropriate conduct by Mr Ladurantaye in the STV newsroom.

A spokeswoman for the broadcaster said it took "complaints about inappropriate conduct at STV extremely seriously".

STV said: "Steven Ladurantaye has resigned as STV's head of news and current affairs for medical reasons around mental health, for which he is receiving treatment.

"Deputy head of news, Linda Grimes Douglas, will oversee STV's news and current affairs operation."

She added: "We take complaints about inappropriate conduct at STV extremely seriously. We will always investigate fully, while respecting the duty of care we owe to all parties involved."

Mr Ladurantaye joined STV in October 2018 from CBC, where he was managing editor.

In May 2017, he was re-assigned from the role of flagship evening news programme The National following a Twitter conversation row over a so-called "cultural appropriation prize" for Canadian literature.

Before joining CBC, he was global chairman of news at Twitter, working with news organisations around the world to develop their digital strategies.

Mr Ladurantaye has been approached for comment.