The chairman of BBC Children in Need is giving up his donation to the charity hit by the scandal

BBC News has not seen Millard’s resignation letter.

A BBC spokesman said: “When allegations were made in relation to LGBT young people in Scotland, its funding was immediately suspended with the full support of the board and a review began.

“To do this thoroughly and fairly, the review lasted three months and ended with the decision to withdraw funding.”

Rennie, who was LGBTYS chief executive from 2003 to 2008 and a former SNP adviser, was convicted in 2009 after being revealed to be part of a pedophile ring.

He was sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting a three-month-old baby and conspiring to obtain contact with children for the purpose of abusing them. He was ordered to serve a minimum of 13 years, later reduced to eight on appeal.

Children in Need suspended donations to the charity in May 2024 after Millard says she notified them about his case. After review, it withdrew funding approximately three months later.

However, Millard, who was BBC News’ arts correspondent, criticized Children in Need for what she believed was a lack of due diligence.

She accused chief executive Simon Antrobus of failing to respond “with the necessary level of seriousness” and being hesitant to take action.

She claimed that he ultimately cut funding to the charity only out of fear of negative publicity.

The BBC has contacted Millard for comment.

Antrobus, who has been chief executive of Children In Need since 2016 and previously held senior positions at Parkinson’s UK and Scope, has not made public comment.

Another man who was involved in developing LGBT Youth Scotland’s school guidelines was convicted this year of sharing indecent images of children, including some newborns.

Andrew Easton was a young person who attended LGBT Youth Scotland services in Scotland in 2000 and, as a result, contributed to a guide for young people on coming out in 2010. However, he was never an employee of the foundation.

In September he pleaded guilty to communicating online with someone he believed to be a child, downloading indecent images of children and distributing indecent images of children.

He was sentenced to a community order, ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, placed on the sex offenders’ register for three years and ordered to take part in a sex offenders’ program.

In 2022, two men said they were nurtured in LGBTYS around the time Rennie was CEO. In response, the LGBTYS organization suspended a staff member and reported it to the police.

A BBC spokesman said: “The Children in Need board of trustees supports the actions taken by the CEO and senior management team and stands by the decisions made.

“Rosie has had the support of the board throughout. Following her resignation, to ensure that lessons were learned, board members initiated a review of working practices between the board and the director, in which Rosie kindly agreed to participate.”

Mhairi Crawford, LGBTYS chief executive, said Millard’s resignation letter “shows the ideological nature of her attacks on our organization.”

Crawford said: “We welcome confirmation that Children in Need’s investigation into the work of LGBT Youth Scotland has found nothing of note.

“Sometimes people with anti-inclusive motives point to historical accusations in an attempt to destroy our reputation. Allegations that were investigated and clarified by Police Scotland and found to be unrelated to our work.

Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, praised Millard on Wednesday for her “significant impact on countless children.” On Friday, Children in Need’s annual broadcast raised more than £39 million.