Jeremy Kyle happy to be cleared over blame for Steve Dymond death - son glad show is axed

Ruling out Mr Dymond’s treatment by The Jeremy Kyle Show as a contributory factor to his death, Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg told Winchester Coroner’s Court: “There is insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied that this was the direct cause of Steve’s death.”

The 63-year-old, from Portsmouth, is believed to have taken his own life seven days after filming for the ITV show in May 2019.

The Winchester inquest heard he was “booed” by the audience during the filming after a lie detector test suggested he had been lying about having not cheated on his partner Jane Callaghan. The inquest was also told that after filming had finished, Mr Dymond had told a researcher: “I wish I was dead.”

A statement released after the inquest on behalf of Mr Kyle said he had been “exonerated” by the coroner’s ruling. The statement said: “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 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.”

Mr Dymond’s son Carl Woolley said the “only good thing” that had come from his father’s death was that the Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled.

In a statement read outside the inquest by one of the family’s solicitors, Mr Woolley said: “It has been five years since my father died.

“In my view anyone watching the clips of the show would see that he was in tears, and spoken to in the most brutal way by Jeremy Kyle.

“The coroner has recorded that the lie detector test, in which Jeremy Kyle believes in so strongly, can have an accuracy of 60-96%.

“The only good thing that came from my father’s death is that the Jeremy Kyle Show is cancelled.”

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 broadcaster said: “We extend our deepest sympathies to those close to Mr Dymond and recognise how difficult the inquest and the past five years have been for them.

“The coroner did not find any causal link between Steve Dymond’s appearance on the Jeremy Kyle Show and his death.

“In the coroner’s findings of fact, he confirmed that the Jeremy Kyle Show had comprehensive duty of care processes covering the selection of contributors who appeared on the show and their care both during and after filming.

“The coroner described how these processes were followed with Steve Dymond, including the offer of follow up cognitive behavioural therapy support.

“ITV is committed to continuing to evolve and strengthen the care given to all those who take part in our shows, which we believe set industry leading standards for the selection, protection and support of participants.”

Mr Pegg recorded a conclusion of suicide with the cause of death as overdose of a prescribed medicine and left ventricular hypertrophy.

He added that Mr Dymond had left notes for his family and said: “There is nothing in those notes where Mr Dymond is critical of his treatment by the show.”

Mr Dymond 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.

It also heard he had attempted to harm himself in December 2002.

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