Mr Kyle gave evidence at Winchester Coroner’s Court today during the inquest into the death of a Hampshire man who died seven days after appearing on The Jeremy Kyle Show.
63-year-old Steve Dymond from Portsmouth is believed to have taken his own after appearing on an episode of the former ITV daytime show in May 2019, where he failed a lie detector test for the programme after being accused of cheating on his partner, Jane Callaghan, from Gosport.
The court was shown footage from the unaired episode, with Mr Kyle seen telling Mr Dymond to “be a man, grow a pair of balls and tell her the truth,”
He also asked: “Has anyone got a shovel?” as Mr Dymond attempted to explain why he had been messaging another woman.
READ MORE: Jeremy Kyle to give evidence at Steve Dymond inquest
Steve Dymond appearing on he Jeremy Kyle Show with host Jeremy Kyle and partner, Jane Callaghan (Image: ITV/PA Wire)
Following the results of the lie detector test, the footage shown to the inquest shows Mr Dymond was subjected to boos and laughs from the studio audience before Miss Callaghan storms backstage, and a tearful Mr Dymond follows.
There Mr Kyle said: “I find it quite interesting that the audience thought you were telling the truth – I wouldn’t trust you with a chocolate button mate, I don’t think you even know what the truth is.”
Mr Dymond repeatedly protested his innocence, claiming he had never lied or cheated on his partner since they had got back together, having previously separated.
Unconvinced by Mr Dymond’s pleas, Mr Kyle added: “So, a serial liar goes into the Jeremy Kyle lie detector and gets called a liar and my test is wrong? Anyone got a shovel?”
The episode was never aired and the Jeremy Kyle Show was taken off air after Mr Dymond’s death.
On Thursday, Mr Kyle told Winchester Coroner’s Court that clips from the programme featuring the case of Mr Dymond and his partner, Jane Callaghan, showed he had “de-escalated… calmed it down”.
He also denied encouraging the audience to take against Mr Dymond, telling the inquest: “Not at all – I asked them to give them a round of applause.”
The presenter explained that he felt he had a “double security blanket” of the checks carried out by his production team and a GP letter to reassure him that Mr Dymond had been an appropriate guest for the show.
Mr Kyle said he had not been given any guidance by the production or aftercare teams that he should “modify” his presenting style for Mr Dymond.
Rachel Spearing, counsel to the inquest, asked Mr Kyle on Thursday: “Do you believe he was humiliated?”
The broadcaster replied: “I do not, and I have read over time apparently I called him a traitor – I didn’t – that he was cowering. I did what I always do and always did, it was what the show… as I understood the show is, sad as it might sound, it was a typical part.”
He added: “It was a show with my name on it, with a production team and an aftercare team behind it.”
Previously the court heard that Mr Dymond died at his home from a combination of morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy in his heart.
During the inquest, it was also heard that Mr Dymond had rung 40 to 50 times in “desperate” attempts to become a guest on the television programme.
The inquest will resume tomorrow.
If you need support, you can contact The Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.