Jeremy Kyle has finally broken his silence following Channel 4's Death on Daytime documentary.
The 56-year-old presenter, who fronted the ITV show for 14 years before it was axed in 2019, insisted "there are two sides to every story" during an appearance on TalkRADIO today.
The documentary - which touched on the death of tragic Steve Dymond, who took his own life after he "failed" a lie detector test on the show, which suggested he had cheated on his ex-fiancee Jane - aired on Sunday night and the final episode tonight.
Channel 4's hour-long watch sees former staff claim guests were exploited.
Now, Jeremy has spoken out after the first episode aired last night.
The presenter says he will not speak about his guest's death in detail until all legal proceedings are complete.
Speaking on the radio this afternoon, Jeremy said: "Let's just deal with the elephant in the room straight away - couple of texts already talking about a certain programme that was on television last night.
"Yes, I am fully aware. I will say only this, my friends, to you.
"I have maintained a consistent approach over the last three years.
"I have said that I will not comment on the tragic death of Steve Dymond until the legal process has finished and that is a position I will maintain.
"When - and trust me, there will be a time after the inquest, when it is right and proper for me to have my say, because there are of course two sides to every single story - I will do it here and I will do it to you, and that is the most important thing."
He added: "With the greatest of respect, I wanted to say that."
The inquest into Steve Dymond's death will take place later this month.
In the documentary, Steve's ex-fiancee Jane says: "I think he's brilliant. I feel sorry for him because he lost his job.
"I don't hate Jeremy Kyle and I didn't blame him. I can't put the blame on someone else when I feel partly to blame myself."
ITV said in a statement to Channel 4 : "The Jeremy Kyle Show was broadcast for 14 years.
"In that time, more than 20,000 people took part in the show seeking help to resolve relationship issues, or to address drug or alcohol related problems.
"The central purpose of the show was conflict resolution, and the show achieved many positive outcomes where people were able to resolve personal problems.
"The Jeremy Kyle Show had extensive and detailed duty of care processes in place for contributors built up over 14 years.
"It had a dedicated guest welfare team of mental healthcare professionals with decades of experience in NHS mental healthcare, who were focused on the welfare of guests throughout the production process.
"Guests were supported by the programme and welfare teams prior to filming, throughout filming and after filming.
"Should they require ongoing help then appropriate solutions were found for them, which could include residential rehabilitation, counselling, anger management, family mediation, child access mediation or couples counselling.
"Due to the gravity of events in May 2019, namely the death of a guest a few days after taking part in the show, ITV decided to end production of the show. It would not be appropriate for ITV to comment further on that in advance of the inquest to be held later this month.
"ITV does not accept the central allegation of this programme of a “bad culture” within the production team. We note that the programme includes anonymous former production members claiming wrongdoing by themselves and others, without supporting evidence. ITV would never condone any of its production staff misleading or lying to guests. All guests on the Jeremy Kyle Show were aware of the nature of the show and the presenter’s style before taking part in recording. Most of those who applied to appear watched the show themselves. All guests gave their informed consent, in writing, to take part.
"Since 2018 ITV has taken significant steps in relation to its duty of care of participants. ITV issued detailed new guidance to all its producers on protecting participants in October 2019, which represents industry-leading good practice and now reflects the changes to the Broadcasting Code made by industry regulator Ofcom in 2021.
"ITV also ensures greater management oversight of participant welfare through a Duty of Care Board, and has created a Mental Health Advisory group involving mental health charities to advise ITV on its policies for staff and programme guests."
Jeremy Kyle was approached for a response to the series. He did not provide a statement for broadcast.
*Death on Daytime airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
