The death of Steve Dymond, a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show, was caused by stresses in his relationship and poor mental health, according to Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg. Dymond, 63, was found dead in May 2019, a week after being accused of lying by the presenter during the filming of the former ITV talk show. The show was described as a “possible” factor in Dymond’s suicide at the inquest in Winchester, but not the “probable” cause.
Dymond had a history of suicide attempts and had hoped that taking a lie detector test on the show would prove he had not cheated on his partner Jane Callaghan. Clips shown at the inquest included Kyle telling Dymond to “grow a pair” and stating that he would not trust him with a “chocolate button”. Dymond failed the lie detector test and was filmed pleading, “I swear to God, I am being so straight… I have not been unfaithful to her.”
Giving evidence to the inquest, Kyle denied humiliating Dymond and stated that his aim was conflict resolution. He said: “From the moment Steve Dymond came out, I called him ‘mate’, I called him ‘pal’…I de-escalated, I calmed it down, I pushed it backstage.”
Recording a conclusion of suicide, the coroner concluded that Dymond died from the combined effect of an overdose and a heart condition. He said there was an absence of reliable evidence that showed a clear link between Dymond’s appearance on the show and his death, despite Dymond lying about his mental health to an ITV mental health nurse who assessed his suitability for the programme.
In a statement, Kyle said he had been “exonerated” and that his name had “finally been cleared” of any responsibility for Dymond’s suicide. He thanked those who had “truly supported him” through “lies, false accusations, and unfair criticism” over the past five and a half years.
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