Jeremy Kyle ‘may have caused or contributed to’ death of TV guest

‘It might seem ludicrous not to have’ presenter give evidence, coroner says

A pre-inquest review has heard that Jeremy Kyle “may have caused or contributed to” the death of Steve Dymond, a guest on his TV programme who died days after failing a lie detector test on the show.

The 63-year-old died of a morphine overdose and a heart problem at his home in Portsmouth in 2019, seven days after he had filmed The Jeremy Kyle Show – which was axed shortly afterwards.

Coroner Jason Pegg said he has made Mr Kyle an “interested person” for the inquest, stating the presenter is someone “who may have caused or contributed to the death of Stephen Dymond”.

“It might seem ludicrous not to have Mr Kyle to give evidence to give his take on the situation,” he said.

Dymond became “distressed” after he failed a lie detector test taken to prove he had not cheated on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan, from Gosport, counsel for Dymond's family told the Winchester hearing.

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC said Dymond had gone on the show to “prove his fidelity”, and that he had said: “I pushed and pushed but it all went wrong.”

After the result was announced during filming, the audience “booed and jeered” at him and he was “called a failure by the presenter” who was “in his face”, Ms Gallagher said.

Dymond sought to leave through a side door but found it locked, Ms Gallagher said, adding: “He couldn't escape the heckling. He was on his hands and knees because he thought he was going to pass out from the stress.”

Ms Gallagher said his state of mind was known by the crew on the show, with a message sent on a WhatsApp group stating: “Just so you know, he's still crying, he has just said he wishes he was dead. Just giving you the heads up.”

The hearing was told that Dymond – who had been receiving mental health care from Southern Health NHS Trust – was originally turned down to appear on the show but was accepted as a guest after gaining a letter from his doctor.

A previous hearing was told the construction worker was “exceptionally vulnerable” when he took part in the recording, which was never aired.

Lawyers representing Mr Kyle said they were not trying to “airbrush” the host out of proceedings but questioned whether his appearance was necessary.

Additional reporting by agencies