ITV urged to cancel Jeremy Kyle Show for good after Portsmouth man is reported as guest who died

SENIOR politicians have called for ITV to end the Jeremy Kyle Show for good following the death of a guest who appeared on the show.
Politicians are urging ITV to cancel the Jeremy Kyle Show for good. Picture: Peter Byrne/ PA WirePoliticians are urging ITV to cancel the Jeremy Kyle Show for good. Picture: Peter Byrne/ PA Wire
Politicians are urging ITV to cancel the Jeremy Kyle Show for good. Picture: Peter Byrne/ PA Wire

Machinery operator Steve Dymond, 63, from Portsmouth has been named as the man who died a week after filming an episode of the daytime TV show, the Sun reports. 

The broadcaster has pulled the Jeremy Kyle Show from the air ‘indefinitely’ following the tragedy, with episodes being pulled from their online streaming service ITV Hub. 

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However, Conservative MPs are now calling for ITV to take it one step further and cancel the show permanently. 

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Portsmouth man Steve Dymond reported as Jeremy Kyle guest who 'failed lie detect...

Tory MP Charles Walker, a vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on suicide and self-harm prevention, told the Daily Mail: ‘On reflection, ITV would be best advised just to stop it. It's a very, very unattractive TV show and I'm surprised it's gone on so long."

While MP Damian Collins, chairman of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said TV companies ‘have a duty to care to the people who take part in their programmes’.

Tory MP Simon Hart, who also sits on the committee, described the Jeremy Kyle Show as ‘car-crash TV which revels in people's terrible misfortune and sometimes their vulnerabilities’.

Politicians are urging ITV to cancel the Jeremy Kyle Show for good. Picture: Peter Byrne/ PA WirePoliticians are urging ITV to cancel the Jeremy Kyle Show for good. Picture: Peter Byrne/ PA Wire
Politicians are urging ITV to cancel the Jeremy Kyle Show for good. Picture: Peter Byrne/ PA Wire
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ITV's support for its reality show talent has also come under scrutiny following the deaths of two former Love Island contestants.

Sophie Gradon, 32, who appeared on the hit programme in 2016, was found hanged in June by her boyfriend, who later took his own life in similar circumstances.

In March this year another Love Island contestant, Mike Thalassitis, was found hanged in a north London park.

Jane Callaghan, Mr Dymond’s fiance, who appeared on the Jeremy Kyle Show alongside him has praised the show's team for their after-care efforts.

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She told The Sun: ‘They were brilliant. They were there when he needed help. They were really persistent in offering him help.’

According to the Sun, Mr Dymond took a lie-detector test to convince on the programme in a bid to prove to Ms Callaghan that he hadn’t cheated on her but they split after he failed it. 

Ms Callaghan said that just before they went on the show, Mr Dymond had convinced her he had not cheated.

She told The Sun the pair split up after the show, reportedly filmed on May 2, and last saw him four days later before Mr Dymond was found dead.

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ITV said staff at the broadcaster and the show's production team were ‘shocked and saddened’ at the death and the episode will be reviewed.

The broadcaster said the episode featuring the participant who died will be submitted for a review due to the ‘seriousness of this event’.

Filming and broadcasting of the programme was suspended while the review is being conducted.

The tabloid talk show sees host Kyle and psychotherapist Graham Stanier help the guests talk through their personal issues in front of a studio audience.

The programme has had its regular daytime morning slot on ITV since 2005.

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