Talk show guest dies after being 'humiliated' by cheating lie detector test

A man has died shortly after appearing as a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show in the UK, which has been described as the UK equivalent to the The Jerry Springer Show.

Steven Dymond, a 63-year-old grandfather Hampshire, England, was found dead at his rental 10 days after filming the ITV daytime show.

Dymond had appeared on the chat show with his on/off long-term girlfriend and was labelled a ‘love cheat’ after failing the lie-detector test.

His girlfriend told The Sun newspaper she and Dymond split after filming the show and that Dymond had been diagnosed with depression in February but obtained a doctor’s note in order to take part in the show, insisting he would prove to her he had remained faithful.

Dymond had only recently discovered he was a grandfather after reconnecting with his son shortly before appearing on the show. He had yet to meet his grandchild.

The digger driver’s landlady, identified only as Shelley, told the Daily Mail she informed ITV about his death after calling a number she found on his phone.

“He was traumatised,” the 55-year-old said.

"He was just a mess and he was just humiliated.”

ITV said the show has been “suspended indefinitely” so that a full investigation can be done.

There have been calls for the show — which began in 2005 and is in its 16th season — to be permanently taken off the air. British actress and comedian Kathy Burke was among celebrities who took to Twitter to call for ITV to cancel it for good.

Several members of the British Parliament have spoken out as well. Charles Walker, 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.”

Damian Collins, who’s 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 programs.” And 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.”

A TV insider who claims he used to work on The Jeremy Kyle Show has said the death of a recent guest is “the tip of the iceberg” and accused the program of “exploiting” vulnerable guests.

The insider, who tweets under the handle @tvtenterhooks, claims in their bio that they “find people for TV shows” and said they worked on The Jeremy Kyle Show for six months.

“Can assure you, story is the tip of the iceberg,” they wrote. “Exploiting people with serious mental health/addiction problems. Promise ‘aftercare’ after f**king people’s lives up.”

They added: “Can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this s**t to be investigated.”

The controversy comes in the wake of increased discussion around aftercare for people who appear on television triggered by the death of Love Island contestant Mike Thalassitis, who was found dead in March at the age of 26.

Love Island has since promised to extend its support process and proactively offer help to contestants.

If you are concerned about the mental health of yourself or a loved one, seek support and information by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978, or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800