Jeremy Kyle has said the death of Steve Dymond who died of an overdose after appearing on his ITV show is a “tragedy”, but his “conscience is clear” following the conclusion of an inquest.
Earlier this week, a coroner ruled the Jeremy Kyle Show’s treatment of Dymond was not a “contributory factor” to his death, which occurred seven days after filming for the show in May 2019.
The 63-year-old became “distraught” after he failed a lie detector test for the ITV programme which he had taken in the hope of proving that he had not cheated on his fiancee, Jane Callaghan, from Gosport, Hampshire.
“What happened was a tragedy, but to blame other people is wrong”, Kyle told The Sun newspaper.
He added: “I think everybody would probably question (themselves) when something like that happens.
“You look at yourself in the mirror, of course you do. You would be inhuman not to, wouldn’t you?
“Listen, I know that I did that show to the best of my ability. I’m sure I didn’t get it right the whole time.
“But my conscience is clear. The coroner was right in that there was nothing I did, or could have done, to stop this tragedy.
“I was presenting a show. Steve had been cleared to appear by both ITV’s aftercare ream and his own GP.”
On Tuesday, coroner Jason Pegg told the inquest: “The deceased’s decision to take his own life was made in the context of his mental distress that was probably exacerbated by his belief that a significant relationship had now irretrievably broken down following his participation on a television programme where it had been suggested that the deceased had lied to his partner.”
Dismissing the Jeremy Kyle Show as a “direct cause of Steve Dymond’s distress”, Mr Pegg said: “It would be unsafe to infer these links in the absence of a clear and reliable causal connection.
“Steve Dymond’s participation in the show is one of a number of factors and, whilst possible that the manner of his experience added to his distress, it is not probable.”
Dymond, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder in 1995 and had taken overdoses on four occasions: in January 1995, twice in December 2002 and in April 2005, the court was told.
In a new interview with The Sun, Kyle said the focus of the case should “never” have been on him but on Dymond and his family.
Alongside thinking about Dymond, Kyle said he also thought about the “hundred people that worked for the show who lost their jobs overnight” as the show was cancelled.
Kyle said he gets the “criticism” but feels the focus being placed on him and the show felt “wrong”.
Asked if he was proud of his work on the show, he added: “We put thousands of people into detox and rehab and thousands of people found out who their real parents were, we resolved a lot of conflict and solved lots of problems.
“And I am proud of that, and all those who worked on that show, and some of what we did.
“I get it though – this is TV from a bygone era, and it would, quite rightly, not ever be put on again today.”
A statement released after the inquest on behalf of Kyle said he had been “exonerated” by the coroner’s ruling.
It added: “Out of respect for the family of Mr Dymond and the judicial process, Jeremy has always maintained that it would be inappropriate to discuss details whilst the legal inquest was ongoing and he has remained steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last five-and-a-half years.
“This has taken a huge toll on him and his family and he would like to thank everyone who has truly supported him through these tough times.”
ITV said in a statement following the inquest that it is “committed to continuing to evolve and strengthen the care” of guests on its shows.
– The Samaritans can be contacted on 116123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
