JEREMY Kyle has said his name has “finally been cleared” after the suicide of a guest was found not to be directly linked to his show.
Steve Dymond, 63, was found dead at his home on Portsmouth, Hampshire, days after filming the show in May 2019.
But a coroner today ruled the appearance was not linked to his death.
In a statement after the finding was given to the court today, Mr Kyle said the case had taken “a huge toll” on him.
A spokesman 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 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.”
Mr Dymond had failed a lie detector test after trying to prove he hadn’t cheated on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan.
But an inquest into his death ruled there was an “absence of reliable evidence” that the events on the show directly led to his death.
Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg also concluded there was “insufficient evidence” that Kyle contributed to Steve’s adverse mental state.
Ruling a verdict of suicide, he said: “Having considered the evidence carefully there is an absence of reliable evidence that demonstrates that Steven Dymond’s appearance on the Jeremy Kyle Show probably caused or contributed to his death. To do so would be speculative.
“I am not satisfied that events on Jeremy Kyle Show gave rise to a clear link that caused or contributed to the death of Steven Dymond such that I should be recording this as a contributing factor.
“Steven Dymond had a history of a diagnosed personality disorder and mental illness which presented on a number of occasions before any appearance of the Jemery Kyle Show and resulted in Steve Dymond self-harming or displaying thoughts of suicide.”
The inquest earlier heard Steve died from combination of an overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy – thickening of the heart – on May 9, 2019.
He had called his son Carl Woolley on the day of filming and was “very upset” claiming he had been booed by the audience.
Steve was adamant he had been telling the truth when he took the lie detector test on the show, the court was told.
Carl said his dad remained upset in the days that followed and would call him up to six times a day.
As a result, he begged his dad to continue getting after-care support from ITV.
Giving evidence during the inquest, Mr Kyle defended his presenting approach.
He told the court: “I think that people who came on the show – I think the show had been on air for 15 years – and I believe the approach for conflict resolution was always the same.
“Yes, it was direct, but it was empathetic, it was honest.”
Referring to Steve’s appearance, he said he “de-escalated” and “calmed” the situation after the dad failed the lie detector.
Kyle added: “That’s what I always believed the show was about – conflict resolution.”
But 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.
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.”
