Jeremy Kyle has spoken for the first time after a coroner ruled there was ‘no causal link’ between the appearance of a guest on his show and his death.
Ex-RNLI volunteer Steve Dymond appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show on May 2, 2019, to try to prove to his on-off partner Jane Callaghan, then 48, that he didn’t cheat on her.
The 63-year-old, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, failed a lie detector test and was found dead seven days later in the £100-a-week room he rented, having overdosed on morphine.
Finding that Mr Dymond took his own life, area coroner Jason Pegg ruled it would be ‘speculative’ to suggest the presenter and his show played a role in his death.
Now, Kyle has detailed the mental and physical toll that the past five years has taken on, as well as defending critics against the ITV1 daytime show.
Jeremy Kyle arrives at Winchester Coroner’s Court, Hampshire, to give evidence in the inquest into the death of 63-year-old Steve Dymond, who killed himself after failing a lie detector test on his show
Mr Kyle denied belittling Mr Dymond and said that he showed empathy but was direct
Mr Kyle’s career was badly hit by the scandal and he says that some friends also deserted him
‘Let’s not forget first and foremost somebody took their life because they were in a position where they saw no way out,’ he told The Sun.
‘I haven’t spoken for five and a half years out of respect because there was a legal process that dragged on and on for many reasons.
‘It should never have been about me; it’s about Steve, and his family. That was my first thought when I found out .
‘And then my next thought was about the hundred people that worked for the show who lost their jobs overnight – some of them even had their mortgages cancelled. I remember at the time just being in this bubble of not even understanding what had happened, but I get it. I get the criticism.’
He went on to say: ‘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.’
Steve Dymond just after receiving his results to the lie detector test on the ITV Jeremy Kyle Show. A week later he killed himself
Kyle told Mr Dymond to ‘grow a pair of balls and tell her the God-damn truth’, the inquest heard (stock photo)
‘Recently we were shown messages which Steve sent to Jane and his family after appearing on the show and not a single one criticises or complains about me, None of this should have been about me.’
‘I felt it wrong that everybody piled in: It was a dreadful time for everyone. But I became the focus of journalists, members of the public and social media; Their judgement seemingly on me and the show. There was much more to the story and I think that needed to come out eventually.’
Kyle did release a statement after the inquest, saying his name has ‘finally been cleared’ after he remained ‘steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last 5 1/2 years’.
It read: ‘His Majesty’s Coroner has today clearly and unequivocally found that Jeremy Kyle did not in any way cause or contribute to the tragic suicide of Steve Dymond. He is now exonerated of that ill-informed accusation and his name has finally been cleared.
‘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 5 1/2 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.’
A statement from Mr Dymond’s son Carl Woolley was read by family lawyer Anna Thwaites outside the coroner’s court.
It read: ‘It has been five years since my father died. In my view, anyone watching the clips of the show, can see that he was in tears and was spoken to in the most brutal way by Jeremy Kyle.
‘The coroner has recorded that the lie detector test, in which Jeremy Kyle believes so strongly, had an accuracy of 60 to 96 per cent.
‘The only good thing that came of my father’s death, is the Jeremy Kyle Show is cancelled.’
The Winchester inquest previously heard how Mr Dymond was ‘booed’ by the audience during the filming after the test suggested he had been lying about having not cheated on his partner.
He was also slammed by on camera by presenter Kyle, who said: ‘Grow a pair of balls and tell her the God-damn truth.’ The presenter later argued he has an ’empathetic’ on-air style.
Concluding the five day inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court, Hants, Mr Pegg gave a conclusion of suicide.
He said digger driver Mr Dymond’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’.
Dismissing The Jeremy Kyle Show as a ‘direct cause of Mr Dymond’s distress’, coroner Pegg said: ‘There is insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied that this [Kyle’s treatment and comments] was the direct cause of Steve’s distress.
‘There is evidence available to me at this particular time of other stressors to his life.
‘Steve’s participation in the show is one of a number of factors, and whilst possible that the manner experience added to his distress it is not probable.
‘Having considered the evidence carefully there is an absence of reliable evidence that demonstrates that Steve’s appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show probably caused or contributed to his death and to do so would be speculative.
‘I am not satisfied that events on The Jeremy Kyle Show gave rise to a clear link that caused or contributed to the death of Steve such that I should be recording this as a contributing factor.
‘Steve had a history of a diagnosed personality disorder and mental illness which presented on a number of occasions before any appearance of the Jeremy Kyle Show and resulted in Steve self-harming or displaying thoughts of suicide.’
He went on to say: ‘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 experience added to his distress it is not probable.
‘The weight which can be attached to these accounts must be balanced with the other evidence available in the aftermath of the show including Steve Dymond’s own reliability, the evidence from witnesses and the rush recordings.
‘Aftercare records indicate Steve Dymond was ’emotionally contained’ and expressed no dissatisfaction towards his treatment during the recording with a plan for follow-up CBT support.’