Jeremy Kyle Show guest Steve Dymond had spoken to medics about suicidal thoughts, inquest hears
A Jeremy Kyle Show guest who died after filming an episode of the programme had spoken to medics about having suicidal thoughts in the weeks beforehand, an inquest has been told.
Steve Dymond, 63, was found dead at his home in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in May 2019 – seven days after failing a lie detector test during filming for the ITV programme.
He had been accused of cheating on his ex-fiancee. He hoped to show her this was not true and believed a test on the Jeremy Kyle programme would prove this.
On the second day of a full inquest into his death, Winchester Coroner’s Court heard Mr Dymond died of a combination of a morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy in his heart.
He had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder in 1995 and taken overdoses on four previous occasions – in January 1995, twice in December 2002, and April 2005 – the hearing was told.
The court heard he also made another apparent suicide attempt in 2002.
He was sectioned in September 2005, and a mental health assessment then found he was at “risk of suicide”.
The Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled following Mr Dymond’s death. Pic: Channel 4/ITV/Shutterstock
The interactions with medics before show filming
Dr Amjad Rehman, a GP at the Rowner Health Centre in Gosport, Hampshire, saw Mr Dymond on 14 March 2019, the inquest heard.
Mr Dymond told him of suicidal thoughts, he said, so he made a “very urgent” referral to an acute mental health crisis team.
“He was very depressed and said he was depressed for the last four weeks, he was separated from his partner for the last four weeks,” Dr Rehman told the court. “He kept lying to her, was continually lying to his partner.”
The doctor said he examined Mr Dymond, who “was very anxious, picking at his arm, and he was very upset”.
Not all of the patient’s medical records connected to his mental health were available on his system at the time of the consultation, Dr Rehman told the court.
An assessment by the acute mental health team found he had “suicidal thoughts” but denied “any concrete plan”, the inquest heard.
The inquest into Mr Dymond’s death has heard about his history of depression
Dymond ‘wanted to get help with being a compulsive liar’
The review said he wanted “to get help with being a compulsive liar and get help with being a narcissist”. It was concluded there was not an “enduring mental health illness present”, the inquest was told.
Dr Rehman said Mr Dymond’s case was referred back to the community health team, under his supervision, because he was deemed to be of “low risk of suicide” and had been experiencing a “reactive episode” to his relationship breakdown.
He saw Mr Dymond again just over two weeks later, on 29 March 2019, and prescribed him the antidepressant Sertraline.
At that time, he was still reporting “off and on self-harm thoughts” but had no “plans to materialise them”, Dr Rehman told the court.
On 10 April 2019, Mr Dymond saw a nurse practitioner and asked for a letter to say he was not depressed or taking anti-depressants. This was so he could go on a television show to take a lie detector test, the court was told.
The anti-depressants had been returned, unused, but the nurse refused to write the letter.
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Doctor knew he wanted to go on TV but did not ask details
Mr Dymond attended Dr Rehman’s surgery again on 29 April 2019. On this occasion, he “banged” open his door with his foot and “aggressively” asked for the letter “as a matter of life or death”, the GP said.
He told the court he felt Mr Dymond’s mood and appearance had improved and so agreed to write a letter reflecting this, but declined to say he was not suffering from depression.
“Mr Dymond has a history of low mood and depression but his mood has improved since he got back together with his partner,” the letter said.
“I saw him for review at the surgery today and his mood has improved and he is not taking any anti-depressants at this time. I hope you will find this information helpful.”
Dr Rehman said he knew Mr Dymond wanted to go on a TV show but did not ask for further details.
Asked if it was “not pertinent” to mention a history of suicidal thoughts in his letter, the GP replied: “I could have mentioned that but the mental health team did not say that he was suicidal.”
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Final message to ex heard on first day
Mr Dymond was found dead on 9 May 2019, a week after filming for The Jeremy Kyle Show.
Following his death, the episode was never aired and the series was later cancelled by ITV.
The inquest opened on Tuesday, with Mr Dymond’s ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan and Mr Dymond’s son, Carl Woolley, giving evidence.
Details of Mr Dymond’s final message to Ms Callaghan were also read in court.
He also left a note for Mr Woolley, the inquest heard. There was no mention of Kyle or the show in the note.
The hearing continues.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Taylor Swift has said she will vote for Kamala Harris in the US election, giving her endorsement just minutes after the debate with Donald Trump ended.
The Instagram post showed her holding her cat Benjamin Button – a reference to Mr Trump’s running mate JD Vance‘s childless cat lady” comments.
Follow the latest on the Trump v Harris debate reaction here
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‘They’re eating pets in Springfield’
Swift urged her 283 million followers to “do your research,” but said AI-generated images of her supporting Mr Trump made her realise “I need to be very transparent about my actual plans”.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” she said. “I’m voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.
“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.
“I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate Tim Walz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
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US debate in three minutes
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‘Massive star’ endorsement could be ‘huge’
Sky News US correspondent James Matthews said after her post that Swift’s endorsement is “huge” for the Harris-Walz campaign.
“She is a massive star, huge,” he said. “She speaks to people in a way that politicians do not, and the message from Taylor Swift will resonate with a huge audience far beyond the kind of people watching what has gone on here.
“The timing will not have been an accident. Tonight, the headline is Taylor Swift. Tomorrow, all the talk is going to be about Kamala Harris and Taylor Swift and the momentum that will be behind her.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
It marks the first time Swift has spoken on the 2024 election. While the Style hitmaker did endorse Joe Biden in 2020, she did so only a month before election day.
However, despite her worldwide fame and popularity even Taylor Swift cannot escape the vicissitudes of American politics. The number of people following her on social media fell following her post.
Entertainment
US actor who voiced Master Splinter in original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series dies
US voice actor Peter Renaday, best known for his role as Master Splinter in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, has died aged 89.
His former Ninja Turtles castmate Townsend Coleman, who voiced Michelangelo in the show, confirmed the news in a post on the X social media platform on Tuesday.
Renaday voiced Master Splinter, a wise and stoic mutant rat who was the turtles’ adoptive half-father and martial arts teacher, between 1987 and 1996.
Police carried out a welfare check at the voice actor’s home in Burbank, California, on Sunday and found him dead inside, according to TMZ.
His niece Mindy Zachary told the celebrity news site that his air conditioning had been out and his home had been hot due to a recent heatwave in California.
She added that his cause of death has not been confirmed but the family feels it does not need further investigation.
Coleman, 70, said he was “devastated” by the the death of our “dear sensei” – a term the ninja turtles would sometimes use to refer to Master Splinter.
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Master Splinter in the original series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Pic: LMX Flix
He continued: “Pete was one of the most genuine, salt of the earth people I have ever known and I will miss him dearly. I had the privilege of visiting with him a month ago and he was as vibrant as ever, at 89 just as endearingly silly, smart and talented as I’ve always known him to be.
“Ugh, this is hard… a Disney legend and our dear Master Splinter – rest well, my sweet friend.”
Renaday also voiced Abraham Lincoln in The Hall Of Presidents – a major attraction at Walt Disney World in Florida.
He also had minor roles in a 1992 animated series of Batman and the Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries between 1995 and 1999.
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