ITV has AXED The Jeremy Kyle Show for good today after a guest died from an overdose.
Steve Dymond, 63, was found dead 10 days after failing a love rat lie detector test on the popular daytime chat show.
The show was pulled off air on Monday as broadcast bosses worked frantically to come up with a final decision on its future.
But ITV has now permanently scrapped the programme, which ran 3,320 episodes over 14 years, after uproar from Mr Dymond’s loved ones and horrified viewers.
Carolyn McCall, ITV’s CEO, announced today: “Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show.
“The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.
“Everyone at ITV’s thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond.”
The decision to axe Jeremy Kyle comes after Prime Minister Theresa May said Mr Dymond’s death was a “deeply concerning case”.
Earlier today The Sun revealed how host Jeremy, 53 – worth £4million – feared chiefs were looking for an excuse to axe his show for good.
Kyle, who is on a £2million-a-year contract with ITV, had told friends he was afraid of being made a scapegoat for the tragedy.
A source said: “Jeremy and those on the show are worried that this could be the nail in the coffin.
“There’s been a groundswell of criticism since the news broke of Steve’s death, and there’s a feeling from people who work on the show that top bosses might decide to use the incident as a reason to change things around.”
Despite the show being axed ITV confirmed they will look to work with Kyle, who also presents GMB, on future projects.
Mr Dymond, from Gosports, Hants, went on the show to prove his innocence after he was accused of being unfaithful by girlfriend, Jane Callaghan.
However, he failed a lie detector test and the couple split after the episode was recorded.
News of Mr Dymond’s death was revealed after Jane told The Sun she feared he had taken a fatal overdose of arthritis medication.
He was really excited and confident. But it was all a front and I knew it. He wasn’t well at all.
Jane Callaghan
Jane said: “He wanted to go on . He was really excited and confident. But it was all a front and I knew it. He wasn’t well at all.”
Jane added: “He was still my fiance. I still loved him. As much as he was a pig to me I still loved him.”
She said the Jeremy Kyle team made repeated efforts to contact Mr Dymond after the show and described them as “brilliant”.
Mr Dymond’s son Carl Wooley later claimed the show had “ripped into” his dad.
Carl said: “He told me, ‘Kyle really laid into me’.
“Presumably that was at the point when they announced the lie detector result. I’m satisfied he intended to kill himself.”
It has now emerged he had suffered a series of blows in his personal life and his appearance on the show was the “final straw”.
Mr Dymond first split from Jane Callaghan in February after she accused him of cheating on her with his ex.
Less than a week after the break-up, he was sacked from his job at Daedalus airfield in Gosport, for accidentally knocking down a timber barrier.
He was very upset before going on the show. Steve and Jane had been together for two years and he loved her.
Anonymous friend
Friends said the incidents marked the start of a downward spiral that culminated in him being found dead in his Portsmouth bedsit last week. Ambulance officials said he had been dead for “a number of days”.
One pal told The Sun: “He was very upset before going on the show. Steve and Jane had been together for two years and he loved her. But she said he was a compulsive liar and they claimed to have hit one another.
“He said he was doing the show to make Jane happy and save the relationship.”
Steve was subject to an arrest warrant at the time of his death after he failed to appear in court.
He had been ordered to pay nearly £6,000 compensation in 1997 for two counts of theft. He was due before JPs in Southampton in February — the month he split from Jane — for the non-payment of £4,329, but did not show.
The Jeremy Kyle Show has been running on ITV since July 2005 with 16 seasons airing on a daytime schedule.
It often leads viewers divided with some questioning whether Jeremy Kyle helps his guests or subjects them to ridicule.
The presenter signed a new three-year contract with ITV worth a reported £2million a year in 2014, making him one of the country’s highest-earning daytime hosts.
He also hosted an American version of the show, which ran for two seasons from 2011 but was cancelled.
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
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