Jeremy Kyle Show ruled out of contributing to Steve Dymond's death by coroner
A coroner has said there is “no causal link” between the appearance of Steve Dymond on The Jeremy Kyle Show and his death.
Ruling out Steve 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.”
Mr Pegg said in his summing up: “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.
“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.”
Mr Pegg added: “At that time the Jeremy Kyle Show was a well-known show, the presentation style of Jeremy Kyle, which could be critical of guests, was known.
“Steve Dymond had viewed the Jeremy Kyle Show before and was aware of Jeremy Kyle’s presenter style.”
Mr Pegg said there was “insufficient evidence” for him to be satisfied that Mr Dymond had lied during the lie detector test.
He added: “There are a number of possibilities as to why Steve was distressed following the reveal of the results – possible examples could be that Steve had indeed been telling the truth, it’s possible Steve was being manipulative or appreciated the consequence of the impact to his relationship.”
A statement released after the inquest on behalf of Jeremy Kyle said that he had been “exonerated” by the coroner’s ruling.
During his evidence at the inquest, Mr Kyle defended his presenting style, saying “it was direct, but it was empathetic, it was honest”.
Mr Kyle told Winchester Coroner’s Court that clips from the programme featuring the case of Mr Dymond and his partner, Jane Callaghan, showed he had “de-escalated… calmed it down”.
He also denied encouraging the audience to take against 63-year-old Mr Dymond, telling the inquest: “Not at all – I asked them to give them a round of applause.”
The court was shown a number of clips from the show, including Mr Kyle telling Mr Dymond: “Be a man, grow a pair of balls and tell her the goddam truth.”
Another featured the presenter asking “Has anyone got a shovel?” as Mr Dymond attempted to explain why he had been messaging another woman.
A further clip showed Mr Kyle saying: “The studio thought you were telling the truth, I wouldn’t trust you with a chocolate button, mate.”
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