‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ Canceled After Guest Accused Of Cheating Fails Lie Detector Test, Then Dies By Suicide

A long-running British talk show has been canceled after a guest died by suicide following the disastrous results of a lie detector test.

Steve Dymond, a 63-year-old resident of Portsmouth in southern England, was found dead in a home on May 9, after filming an episode of “The Jeremy Kyle Show” earlier this month, CBS News reports. While the exact cause of his death is unconfirmed, pending the results of an autopsy, police have said that his death was not suspicious and local outlets have categorized it as a suicide, according to CBS News.

Before his death, Dymond appeared on the popular daytime talk show alongside his fiancée, who suspected he may have cheated. Dymond denied as much, but the results of the lie detector reportedly suggested otherwise — in front of a live studio audience.

Following Dymond’s passing, ITV, the broadcaster behind the show, has announced that the series, which had been running for 14 years, would be ending, The Guardian reports.

“Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show,” ITV’s chief executive Carolyn McCall said, according to the outlet. “The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.”

“Everyone at ITV’s thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond,” she continued.

The episode featuring Dymond has not been aired, and the network has said that it will not be made public, according to CNN.

Dymond’s death, as well as that of two other contestants on another British reality TV show, has prompted an investigation by the UK Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, who will be examining the level of support and other resources offered to those who participate in reality TV programming, CNN reports.

One audience member who was present during the taping of Dymond’s episode reports that the results of the lie detector test seemed especially traumatic for him.

Initially, although Dymond was “crying from the very beginning,” he was “so convinced” that he would pass the test, Babette Lucas-Marriott told BBC News. The audience believed he would pass too, she said, but the mood took a turn after the reveal that he’d failed the polygraph.

“You just saw him collapse to the ground. Absolutely just couldn’t believe what he’d heard. And you know, he was begging his fiancee for forgiveness … They were just completely and utterly devastated,” she recalled. “And it was clear that he’d just lost his entire life with his fiancee there.”

Jane Callaghan, Dymond’s former fiancée, told The Guardian that she and Dymond parted ways after their appearance on daytime television, but said the show was “really persistent” in offering help to Dymond, who she said was “quietly struggling,” after the show.