Jeremy Kyle now - new job, 'abandoned' by famous pals and 'scapegoat' claim
Jeremy Kyle went missing from our TV screens for three years - but is now back with the biggest interview of his life.
The presenter has interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a Florida jail after being found guilty last year of luring young women and girls to massage rooms where disgraced businessman Jeffrey Epstein molested them.
Jeremy now has his own show on TalkTV, but a lot has changed since his former series was cancelled amid controversy and tragedy.
After ruling the ITV daytime schedule for 14 years, The Jeremy Kyle Show was taken off air before being permanently cancelled in May 2019 following the tragic death of guest Steve Dymond.
The 63-year-old had taken a lie detector in a bid to prove he hadn't been cheating to his on-off fiancée, which he denied but was revealed to have failed the test, which are not 100% accurate.
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The Jeremy Kyle Show was taken off air after the death of Steve Dymond (ITV/Shutterstock)After the show recording ended, distraught Steve told one of the show's researchers "I wish I was dead" before being sent home in a taxi two hours later.
Just days later, Steve was tragically founded dead in his rented room in Portsmouth, with an autopsy later showing he had died of a morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy.
Filming and broadcasting of The Jeremy Kyle Show was suspended with immediate effect while a serious review was conducted - and former staff members and guests gave shocking insights into what it was really like behind-the-scenes.
Host Jeremy was said to be distraught after learning Steve had been found dead just days after filming on his show.
Jeremy said: "Myself and the production team I have worked with for the last 14 years are all utterly devastated by the recent events.
"Our thoughts and sympathies are with Steve’s family and friends at this incredibly sad time."
There had been plans for Jeremy to return to ITV with a brand new show - but it seems they were shelved.
Steve tragically died at the age of 62 in 2019 (Pixel8000)If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free phoneline open every hour of the day on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit the website to find your local branch
ITV boss Kevin Lygo confirmed that Jeremy Kyle was working on a brand new show to air on ITV, saying: "He was devastated. He really upset and obviously distraught someone had died who had recently been on his show and understood the decision.
"For him suddenly overnight to have lost the job he has been lorded over for 15 years, was a big jolt."
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Lygo confirmed ITV was "piloting" Kyle's new project and that his investigative series The Kyle Files would return in 2020.
The ITV boss added: "We are piloting something with him and we will just have to have a look because he is a consummate broadcaster and it would be absolutely wrong to apportion blame of the show against the presenter of it.
"We don't hold him in any bad way. We will look to find another show with him but I think it is unlikely it will go in the same slot."
However, it wasn't to be as he did not return with a new ITV series.
Jeremy Kyle thanked partner Vicky Burton for supporting him (Getty Images)In September 2021, Jeremy finally broke his silence and claimed he felt "scapegoated" and unfairly blamed for the tragedy.
Kyle said he knew his critics would say he 'got a taste of his own medicine' by seeing his show cancelled, but that it pushed him over the edge after a string of other things went wrong.
The presenter told The Sun: "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 presenter said he had been battling anxiety and depression and at one stage couldn't bring himself to leave the house of even open the curtains.
After encouragement from his "grounded and supportive" fiancée Vicky Burton, he went to the doctor because of how low he was feeling.
The Jeremy Kyle Show will never air again (ITV)"She’s not from that TV world and her advice has really helped me find perspective. I would give Vic massive, massive credit for getting me back on my feet," he told The Sun.
Jeremy went on to explain how much of an impact it had been on the crew that had worked on the series.
"A hundred people lost their jobs that day, and I felt truly awful for them too and worried for their futures. But I felt completely alone," he continued.
"When I was told they were cancelling it completely, my first reaction was a sort of incredulous shock, and then really just devastation. And then suddenly I felt like I was on the periphery of it."
It was claimed that as one of ITV's biggest stars, Kyle secured a massive £1million payout from bosses.
" ITV had to pay him. The contract was watertight and there was nothing which could be done about it. It was a huge amount of money," a source previously told the Daily Mail.
Jeremy said Piers Morgan had been in touch straight away (ITV)The insider added that as Jeremy had most of a year left on his £2m annual contract, the pay-out would have been "well over £1million".
Jeremy revealed that some of his celebrity pals had abandoned him after his show was axed - with some he had been close to for years simply "disappearing".
But he did single out some "brilliant" showbiz friends who remained by his side, including Dec Donnelly, Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Langsford and Rob Rinder.
Jeremy also praised Piers Morgan for reaching out straight away and Kate Garraway for taking the time to get in touch.
Jeremy has also been there to support Kate 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.
He offered the use of his driver after Kate expressed her worry about passing anything on to Derek's vulnerable parents.
Jeremy and Kate Garraway have both been helping each other (ITV)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."
While he swerved TV for a while, Jeremy did make a return to broadcasting in September 2021 with his own weekday talkRadio show.
Airing from 4pm to 7pm Monday to Thursday, Jeremy's show was pitched as being 'straight talking, no nonsense radio'.
Speaking with talkRADIO's Mike Graham about his new show, the presenter revealed his late father had encouraged him to return to work before his death.
Jeremy explained: "I lost my dad six weeks ago and he was my hero. One of the reasons that I’ve come back now is that he said to me, 'go back to work'.
"Life is full of problems. There’s always a solution, it’s just the bigger the problem, the longer that it takes to find an answer. But if you get your head down, you’ll get there.
"That’s why I’m back. It just seems like the right time, and I’ve listened to talkRADIO and I just like the fact that there’s a huge amount of honesty and directness and it’s about people.
Kyle on talkRadio (Talk Radio)"talkRADIO is just the most perfect project and I’m so excited to join and be able to talk about stuff that matters to me and that’s mattered to me for a long, long time."
Jeremy then returned to our screens as part of new channel TalkTV, appearing as a panellist alongside the likes of Sharon Osbourne and covering for Piers Morgan.
After impressing bosses, he managed to scoop his own nightly chat show.
"The radio show has done really well but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to host my own TV show, too," Jeremy explained ahead of his latest TV show airing on the new channel.
"That was the plan and it’s been something I’ve missed, but it had to be the right show at the right time with the right team.
"And now it feels like I’ve found it. It feels a bit like I’ve found my broadcasting home."
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