There is "no causal link" between the appearance of a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show and his suicide, a coroner has concluded.
Steve Dymond, 63, was found dead at his home in Portsmouth in May 2019, seven days after taking part in the show.
Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg said there was “insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied” that appearing on the show had a “direct cause” on Dymond’s death.
He had taken a lie detector test for the ITV programme after being accused of cheating on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan.
The inquest in Winchester heard he was “booed” by the audience during the filming after the test suggested he had been lying about having not cheated.
The inquest was also told that after filming had finished, Mr Dymond had told a researcher: “I wish I was dead.”
The coroner found that Mr Dymond had died of a combination of a morphine overdose and a heart condition.Ruling his death as suicide on Tuesday following an inquest, Mr Pegg said Mr Dymond was suffering from "mental distress" at the belief that his relationship had "irretrievably broken down".
He said: "The deceased's decision to take his own life was made in the context of his mental distress that was probably exacerbated by his belief that a significant relationship had now irretrievably broken down following his participation on a television programme where it had been suggested that the deceased had lied to his partner."
But dismissing the appearance as a "direct cause of Steve Dymond's distress", Mr Pegg said: "These accounts are not supported with any independent expert evidence to evaluate the impact of his treatment on the show.
"It would be unsafe to infer these links in the absence of a clear and reliable causal connection.
"Steve Dymond's participation in the show is one of a number of factors, and whilst possible that the manner experience added to his distress it is not probable.
"Aftercare records indicate Steve Dymond was 'emotionally contained' and expressed no dissatisfaction towards his treatment during the recording with a plan for follow-up CBT support."
He added that Mr Dymond had left notes for this family and said: "There is nothing in those notes where Mr Dymond is critical of his treatment by the show."Mr Pegg ruled there was "insufficient evidence" to conclude whether or not Mr Dymond lied during his lie detector test.
He told the inquest: "The lie detector test recorded that Steve had provided an untruthful response to all questions asked of him.
"The expert evidence within the recording noted that a failure to one question may result in failure of them all.
"There is insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied whether or not Steve had indeed lied during the lie detector test."
He said it was recognised by Jon Millership, a senior producer on the show, that the accuracy of a lie detector test was "between 60-96%".
"It is accepted that the lie detector test cannot be considered to be wholly accurate," he said.
Following the verdict, Mr Kyle described how the "false accusations" against him since Mr Dymond's death had taken a "huge toll on him and his family".
In a statement he said: "His Majesty's Coroner has today clearly and unequivocally found that Jeremy Kyle did not in any way cause or contribute to the tragic suicide of Steve Dymond. He is now exonerated of that ill-informed accusation and his name has finally been cleared.
"Out of respect for the family of Mr Dymond and the judicial process, Jeremy has always maintained that it would be inappropriate to discuss details whilst the legal inquest was ongoing and he has remained steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last 5 1/2 years.
"This has taken a huge toll on him and his family and he would like to thank everyone who has truly supported him through these tough times."
During his evidence at the inquest, the presenter defended his presenting style, saying “it was direct, but it was empathetic, it was honest”.
Mr Kyle told Winchester Coroner’s Court that clips from the programme featuring the case of Mr Dymond and his partner showed he had “de-escalated… calmed it down”.
He also denied encouraging the audience to take against 63-year-old Mr Dymond, telling the inquest: “Not at all – I asked them to give them a round of applause.”If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
