Jeremy Kyle breaks silence after Steve Dymond inquest verdict and says 'huge toll'

Former talk show host Jeremy Kyle leaves Winchester Coroner's Court
-Credit: (Image: PA)


Jeremy Kyle has broken his silence and said that the inquest into the death of a man who appeared on his ITV show took a 'huge toll' on him. Steve Dymond was found dead aged 63 after appearing on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2019.

The Jeremy Kyle Show was subsequently cancelled by ITV and pulled from the air. An inquest into Mr Dymond's death was held to establish if there was a link between his passing and the show.

Mr Dymond had taken a lie detector test as part of the show before he died - but the inquest ruled that there was no connection between the two events. In a statement released after the inquest on Tuesday (September 10), 59-year-old Kyle described the ordeal as 'tough times'.

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The statement 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 five-and-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."

Screengrab of Steve Dymond appearing on The Jeremy Kyle Show

The court heard that Mr Dymond died of an overdose after appearing on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2019, Mirror reports. Coroner Jason Pegg said at a Winchester inquest that there was 'no causal link' between his appearance on the programme and his death.

He said: "There is insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied that this was the direct cause of Steve’s death." Mr Dymond, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, is believed to have taken his own life seven days after filming for the ITV show.

The inquest heard how he was 'booed' by the audience during the filming after a lie detector test suggested he had lied when he said he had not cheated on partner Jane Callaghan. Giving evidence at the inquest, Kyle defended his presenting style.

He said 'it was direct, but it was empathetic, it was honest'. The TV host also denied encouraging the audience to take against 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 footage of Kyle telling Mr Dymond: "Be a man, grow a pair of balls and tell her the goddam truth."