Destroyed by scandal
A new series lifts the lid on the terrible events that led to the cancellation of The Jeremy Kyle Show…
For 14 years, The Jeremy Kyle Show dominated daytime TV. But then, in 2019, the show was dramatically cancelled after guest Steve Dymond took his own life following an appearance on the programme.
Steve, 63, had gone on the show in a bid to prove to his fiancée that he hadn’t been cheating on her. But instead, he was booed and jeered after failing a love-cheat lie-detector test, and was found dead at his home in Portsmouth seven days later.
Inside story
Now, for this two-part documentary series, production-team whistleblowers tell the shocking inside story, while others whose lives were turned upside down by the show reveal their own heart-rending tales.
Since Steve’s death, at least five other Jeremy Kyle guests have come forward to say they’ve attempted suicide after appearing on the programme, including Dwayne Davison. He was labelled the ‘most hated’ guest ever after an appearance in 2014 to talk about his relationship, and received a barrage of public shaming.
‘I had loads of abuse and in 2018 I decided I’d had enough,’ he explains. ‘My girlfriend had some toothache medication, I took a load of it and I can’t remember the rest.’
Powerless
Dwayne claims he was confined in a locked room backstage for 10 hours without his phone before filming. He also says that his post-show aftercare consisted of a one-minute phone call and his taxi fare home.
‘I came on stage to 100 people booing. They put the spoon in and stirred around my whole life,’ he says. ‘It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.’