After his controversial show was axed, Jeremy Kyle revealed he was abandoned by some of his celebrity pals.
The presenter appeared on our screens every weekday morning during the 14-year run of The Jeremy Kyle Show, but was then suddenly taken off air following the tragic death of guest Steve Dymond.
The 63-year-old was on the show to prove he had not been cheating on his fiancée and was told he had failed a lie detector test, which are not 100% accurate, and was sadly found dead at his home just days later.
Jeremy sent his condolences to Steve's loved ones and said the whole production team were "utterly devastated" by his passing.
His show was permanently cancelled while an inquest began into the practices that were used - and Jeremy has admitted he felt like a "scapegoat".
Despite many years of service to ITV, the presenter claimed many famous faces and senior executives at the channel were quick to distance themselves from him.
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While not going into specific names, Jeremy explained that it didn't take long for some people he had been close to for years to simply "disappear".
"But there were also lots who just never got in touch again even though we had worked together for so many years — it’s very, very telling," he told The Sun in September last year.
"It’s a strange situation because you don’t really want to talk to people when something like that happens, but then you’re annoyed when they don’t call too."
However, Jeremy did reel off a list of names of some close showbiz pals that did stand by him.
"Some people were brilliant — Piers Morgan reached out straight away because he’s that sort of guy, and he was brilliant," explained Jeremy.
"Kate Garraway, who is just extraordinary and has been through the most awful time herself recently, still takes time to get in touch, and I’ve helped her with her kids, too."
This also included Geordie presenter Dec Donnelly, This Morning duo Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford and fellow ITV daytime star Judge Rob Rinder.
Rinder, who works with The Jeremy Kyle Show's former security guard 'Big Steve', said what happened was a "tragedy" but slammed the "hypocrisy" of some of the criticism levelled at the show.
Speaking to Radio Times, the criminal barrister said: "I know the people who made the programme and they really cared about it.
"I have a real problem with hypocrisy. I mind the fact that when you are middle class and you discuss your emotional life or your marriage on Instagram with shiny teeth and a degree of eloquence, you’re considered to be brave.
"But if you’re from a socioeconomically challenged background you’re deemed not to have agency. So, I really mind it when some commentators describe people who were on the show as a feral underclass."
Piers Morgan was another person who came out strongly in defence of the show while pressure was building for it to be axed.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain before it was permanently cancelled, Piers insisted guests knew the risks of appearing on the show and questioned what more show bosses could be doing.
While speaking to Lord Sugar about The Apprentice's recruitment procedures, Piers said: "Ultimately the issue, it seems to me, seeing this with two Love Island contestants who took their lives and now this tragedy on The Jeremy Kyle Show, these people are going on television.
"No one is forcing them to. It raises a lot of complex issues on whether they are up for doing it.
"You can check people as much as they like but ultimately if they want to do it, they know the show they’re appearing on and they know what will happen."
Piers then questioned whether it was possible to stop the negative 'side effects' of appearing on a national TV show.
He added: "It’s hard, with so many shows on television, to know how you could stop any risk really of any side effects of a negative way of people who would appear on television."
GMB host Kate was another one of those who supported Jeremy - and he returned the favour in her darkest hour during husband Derek Draper's recovery from Covid.
In August 2020, Kate revealed that Jeremy had helped take her kids to stay with Derek's parents, who had been shielding for months and had not been able to hug their grandkids.
Jeremy offered the use of his driver, who would thoroughly clean his car, after Kate expressed her worry about passing anything on to Derek's vulnerable parents.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Kate explained: "They travelled up not with me, because they've not even had contact with Derek's sisters, so I didn't want to be an extra person coming into their lives.
"So thanks to Jeremy Kyle they travelled up because he said my driver has been isolating and keeping the car very clean so I'll take the children up."
Someone else who Jeremy has stayed particularly close to is Graham Stanier, who served as Director of Aftercare on The Jeremy Kyle Show.
Graham, whose role was to advise guests backstage and support them away from the cameras, has been seeing Jeremy regularly since the demise of the ITV show.
The close pals and their families celebrated Christmas Day together in 2019 and they enjoyed a barbecue for Jeremy's birthday in July 2020.
Graham was also a guest at Jeremy's wedding to Vicky Burton in October 2021 and posted snaps together with the happy couple on Instagram with the caption: "Great Day. Mr and Mrs Kyle. Wedding day celebration."
The Jeremy Kyle Show has been brought to the forefront once again thanks to a new Channel 4 documentary.
Death on Daytime looked back at Steve Dymond's tragic death - with interviews from his loved ones, former staff and guests on the show.
Kyle was approached for a response to the series but did not provide a statement for broadcast, having insisted he will not speak out until legal proceedings are complete.
Speaking on his talkRADIO show earlier this week, 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."
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