Steve Dymond inquest: Jeremy Kyle Show guest died from overdose after being booed and branded 'liar'

Steve Dymond was found dead at his Portsmouth home on May 9, 2019, shortly after his appearance on the controversial talk show. The inquest heard that he had become deeply distressed after his participation in the show, where he was subjected to abuse and was publicly branded a liar during a lie detector test. This public shaming reportedly pushed him to the brink, leading to his tragic death.

Resuming the inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court, Coroner Jason Pegg however clarified that the purpose of the inquest was not to “apportion civil or criminal liability” to any person involved. Counsel to the inquest, Rachel Spearing, explained that the proceedings would focus on the events between March 14 and May 9, 2019, leading up to Dymond’s tragic death.

The inquest was set to examine Dymond’s interactions with his GP, his assessment for participation in The Jeremy Kyle Show, and the aftercare provided following the programme. Spearing noted that the inquest would also delve into Dymond’s “reaction to the lie detector test” administered on the show.

Dymond’s son, Carl Woolley, testified that his father had been “very upset” after recording "The Jeremy Kyle Show". Dymond had agreed to take a lie detector test on the ITV program after being accused of cheating on his ex-fiancée, Jane Callaghan. Carl recounted that his father told him Jeremy Kyle had “egged on” the audience to “boo him” and that he was “cast as the liar.”

According to Carl, his father insisted that “he was telling the truth, he was not lying and telling the truth and asking why it said he had lied”. When asked by counsel to the inquest, Rachel Spearing, who had “jumped on him,” Carl replied: “Jeremy Kyle had got the crowd to egg on, to boo at him and stuff, he was cast as the liar before he had even spoken.”

A post-mortem examination revealed a “potentially fatal level” of morphine in Dymond’s blood, along with evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy in his heart. Spearing said: “The conclusion was that both left ventricular hypertrophy and morphine levels are independently capable of causing Mr. Dymond’s death but in this case, a combination of the two factors had led to his death.”

The court heard a heartfelt “pen portrait” of Dymond written by his brother, Leslie Dymond, who described him as a “brave” man, deeply committed to his role in the RNLI. “Stephen was dedicated to the RNLI. He would never miss training,” Leslie said, recalling how his brother performed “many gruelling tasks” to rescue people in distress at sea.

The inquest also heard extracts from a note Dymond left for his son, in which he wrote, “I just don’t want to have to be here no more. My life feels empty without Jane. I just loved her so much.”

Carl testified that his father’s distress deepened in the days following the show, leading to frequent phone calls where his father fluctuated between moments of calm and severe despair. Carl tried to encourage his father to seek aftercare from the show’s counsellors, urging him to, “Ring the show, ring the show” but his father struggled to find solace.

Dymond’s sense of betrayal was echoed in statements made by his brother Leslie, who recalled how he described feeling “jeered and called a failure” by Kyle. Leslie recounted phone conversations after the show, saying: “He was clearly very distressed and I was very surprised and worried when he told me he was in a taxi travelling home from the Jeremy Kyle Show having taken part, and that he had endured a terrible time. He sounded completely broken and frightened and told me he could not go on living.”

Leslie added that Dymond was deeply affected by the lie detector test, insisting he had not cheated on his partner. Dymond felt “thrown by questions about his past relationships” and was disturbed by the audience’s reaction and Kyle’s behaviour, saying he had been “jeered and called a failure by the presenter”.