Jeremy Kyle has said his “conscience is clear” after an inquest said his show's treatment of Steve Dymond was not a "contributory factor" in his death.
Hampshire resident Mr Dymond, who worked in Warsash, took his own life seven days after filming for the show in May 2019.
Mr Dymond was told by Mr Kyle that he failed a lie detector test which he had taken in the hope of proving that he had not cheated on his fiancee, Jane Callaghan, from Gosport.
In an interview with The Sun after the inquest, Kyle said: “What happened was a tragedy, but to blame other people is wrong.”
He added of the 63-year-old's death: “I think everybody would probably question (themselves) when something like that happens.
“You look at yourself in the mirror, of course you do - You would be inhuman not to, wouldn’t you?
“Listen, I know that I did that show to the best of my ability. I’m sure I didn’t get it right the whole time.
“But my conscience is clear. The coroner was right in that there was nothing I did, or could have done, to stop this tragedy.
“I was presenting a show. Steve had been cleared to appear by both ITV’s aftercare team and his own GP.”
READ MORE: Council sent 1,553 debts to bailiffs last financial year
Mr Dymond had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder in 1995 and had taken overdoses on four occasions: in January 1995, twice in December 2002 and in April 2005, the court was told.
During the interview with The Sun, Kyle said the focus of the case should “never” have been on him but on Mr Dymond and his family.
Asked if he was proud of his work on the show, he added: “We put thousands of people into detox and rehab and thousands of people found out who their real parents were, we resolved a lot of conflict and solved lots of problems.
“And I am proud of that, and all those who worked on that show, and some of what we did.
“I get it though – this is TV from a bygone era, and it would, quite rightly, not ever be put on again today.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel