Jeremy Kyle admits that he has had a torrid time since the popular The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed. The 59 year old straight-talking TV presenter and father-of-six, who is married to Vicky, 49, opens up candidly about his state of mind now, following the darkest times of his life, as OK! reports .
It is now two months since Jeremy, following an inquest, was “exonerated” over the tragic death of Steve Dymond. Mr Dymond appeared on the hugely popular ITV daytime programme The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2019 to prove he hadn’t cheated on his partner. During filming, Jeremy encouraged Steve to tell the truth and “grow a pair of balls”.
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OK! Magazine / Chelsea White)Image:
OK! Magazine / Chelsea White)The popular show was subsequently axed, but in September an inquest into the tragic events concluded there was “no clear and reliable causal connection” between Steve’s appearance on the show and his death – tragically, Steve died by suicide seven days later.
In that five-year period, doting husband and father of six Jeremy's life was turned upside down - at his lowest ebb, he admits he couldn’t get out of bed or even leave the house, for months at a time. But five years on, Jeremy says, “I was an easy target. We must never forget that a man died, but it’s been proven that was nothing whatsoever to do with me. It’s been five years of hell. But with the strength of this woman, I’m on the other side.” He adds, “For two years it was horrific, and I had a complete breakdown. It was Vicky who dragged me out of bed. She saved me.”
Jeremy is the first to admit that what happened to Mr Dimond was a terrible tragedy, but he is adamant when he says, “I’m not going to spend my life apologising for a show that 30,000 people came on and loved, and millions around the world watched. There’s a very sad postscript, but it’s been proven that wasn’t the show’s fault.”
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OK! Magazine / Chelsea White)Opening up about the emotional moment he found out he had been exonerated, Jeremy recalls, “I was sat in the office of one of my best friends, with a live link to the court, via email. Just seconds before the report was read out, we lost the internet connection. I swear to God, I lost half a stone right there on the spot. I was shaking. It was only when we were able to turn on Sky TV we finally saw that I’d been vindicated and I just absolutely lost it. This had gone on for five and a half years, Oliver’s entire life. It was finally over. I couldn’t stop crying.”
And Vicky, who has clearly been Jeremy's rock throughout, confesses, “It was tough, but I had to crack on. It was so hard to see my husband go through that, but I always knew it wasn’t his fault. It was a horrible time for all of us. I had to kick him out of bed and force him to do stuff with the family. No one thought he’d be like that. Only his family, friends and children knew – and we kept him going.
Today, Jeremy is determined to look to the future. “I’m 60 next year and life feels like it’s starting again. Now we need to look ahead. I don’t want this to be my legacy – I want my legacy to be that I’m a great dad.”
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this story you can contact Samaritans in the UK and Ireland on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie
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