The daughter of a woman who tragically took her life after taking part in a show hosted by Jeremy Kyle has said that she wants people to know that Steve Dymond "wasn't the only one".
Erica Pawson filmed an episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2005 with her husband Paul - though the episode never aired - and her friends claimed she believed that going on the show would make her "famous".
Sadly, however, Erica took her life after she took part in the show and left behind her daughter Laura, who had been around 12 at the time, and husband Paul.
Dymond's tragic death in May 2019 ultimately led to the downfall of the controversial ITV talk show.
His episode never aired on TV, though the goings on behind the scenes came under public scrutiny, with guests coming forward to expose the emotional turmoil they say they faced after agreeing to appear on the show.
ITV axed The Jeremy Kyle Show in May 2019 following Steve's death - though Erica's husband says: "I remember when I heard about Steve Dymond, I was in here watching Good Morning Britain.
"In come on there that he'd died and they'd stopped the programme. I was like what the hell, they didn't stop the programme for my wife when she killed herself after being on the Jeremy Kyle Show. First year it started in October 2005. When my wife died they did nothing."
A new Channel 4 documentary, airing on Sunday and Monday, examines behind-the-scenes footage and personal accounts of those affected by appearances on the programme.
Among them are Erica's husband, neighbours and daughter, who describe her as being "vulnerable".
Her friends Fran and Tony Whitehead, 72 and 71, recall Erica happily telling them that she was going to be famous by appearing on the show, adding: "She was like a lamb to the slaughter".
Paul, 57, says: "Erica thought it would be a good day out to air some of her views on TV."
He recalls them both being separated as soon as she was driven to the studios until they got on the stage.
"They split you up straight away and they pump you up for ages - winding you up for hours," he says. "They were telling me to kick off... Jeremy Kyle asked Erica whether she wanted to split up with him and she said yes.
"When I got back I went away for a few days and we were going to talk about it on Friday but she was dead by the Thursday."
Becoming emotional, Paul says he "beats [himself] up" over what happened, explaining: "I blame myself every day for it. I killed her."
Laura, Erica's daughter, adds: "I just want people to know that Steve Dymond wasn’t the only person. They’ve been ruining lives since they started."
ITV said in a statement in response to the Channel 4 documentary: "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.
However, Jeremy addressed the axing of his show in an interview with The Sun in 2021, saying that it had left him "devastated" and believes he was made a "scapegoat" in the fallout.
He said: "I don’t want to sound ‘woe is me’, and as I’ve said the whole thing was a terrible tragedy — devastating for Steve Dymond’s friends and family, of course, and for the many people who worked on the show.
“But it did hit me hard. And it’s been awful to feel so scapegoated, and without being able to have my say about the accusations that often seemed to be levelled only at me.
“I’ve felt hunted and made out to be responsible for everything that ever took place around that show. But I was just the face of it."
*The Jeremy Kyle Show: Death on Daytime airs Sunday and Monday at 9pm on Channel 4
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