Jeremy Kyle Show guest had lie-detector test ‘pushed in his face’ days before suspected suicide

A guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show who died in a suspected suicide had the results of a lie-detector test pushed in his face and was branded a “serial liar”, a coroner was told today.

Stephen Dymond was “completely broken” and told family he “couldn’t go on living” after his appearance on the controversial ITV programme, in which he was accused of cheating on his partner.

A week after being confronted on the show about whether he had been faithful to fiancée Jane Callaghan he was found dead in his bedroom surrounded by empty packets of pills.

On the daytime television programme he had failed the lie detector test despite insisting he wasn’t a cheat.

The pair were said to have been left “incredibly distressed” and in tears after the results were revealed.

The hearing heard that the 63-year-old told his family he had considered taking an overdose and jumping out of the taxi on the way home from filming in Manchester.

Area Coroner Jason Pegg revealed at Monday’s Hampshire coroners’ court hearing in Winchester that the full inquest into Dymond’s death in May 2019 would take place in September this year.

However, he declared it will “focus” on Dymond’s death and not act as a “roving inquiry into the practises of reality television”.

Claire Overman – representing Dymond’s brother, Leslie, and son, Carl Woolley – told the pre-inquest review that someone had “peppered” Mr Dymond after his appearance on the show.

Alluding to footage of the show and messages exchanged between Dymond and his brother, she said: “He was followed off stage by Mr Kyle and cameras – at least two cameramen, in a fairly intrusive manner.

“In Mr Dymond’s record to [his brother] he said he had the results of the lie detector pushed in his face.”

It is understood that it was not the presenter who had pushed the results at him. It is not clear who is accused of the action.

Ms Overman told the hearing that Dymond had told his brother that Kyle had called him a host of names – including a “serial liar”.

Kyle is expected to give evidence at the inquest later this year,

Speaking about the footage from the show, she said: “It’s quite clear from the footage after the reveal, both Mr Dymond and Ms Callaghan are incredibly distressed and both in tears.”

Telling the court what Dymond’s brother recounted of his state of mind, she said he’d sounded “completely broken and frightened and couldn’t go on living”.

She added of the brother’s account: “Steve Dymond was distressed and consumed about what had happened in the show.

“It was like he had been brainwashed and worthless.”

On May 13, The Jeremy Kyle Show was taken off air after ITV bosses learned of Mr Dymond’s death.

The episode in which he appeared was never shown on television.

Dymond’s body was discovered surrounded by empty packets of morphine and sleeping pills in his £100-a-week room in Portsmouth on May 9 – just days before the show was scrapped.

Neil Sheldon KC, representing Kyle, said Leslie Dymond’s account was “not based on contemporaneous notes” and was therefore a “misleading and inaccurate account of what happened”.

However, Mr Pegg ruled Mr Dymond was medically unfit to attend the hearing in person and said his statement would be accepted as evidence as it “addresses relevant matters”.

On the inquest itself, Mr Pegg said: “It’s quite evident there were other things going on in Mr Dymond’s life at the time of his passing.

“He had been on the Jeremy Kyle Show.

“I intend, and have always intended, that the breakdown of Mr Dymond’s relationship with Jane Callaghan – which appears to be the catalyst for going on the Jeremy Kyle Show – and interactions with others such as his brother and those around him, are relevant to the inquest and fall within the scope of the inquest.

“That is the main focus of the scope in this case.”

The full inquest was adjourned until Sept 3.