Jeremy Kyle has said he received treatment for anxiety because he felt “hunted” and “scapegoated” after his TV show was cancelled in 2019 following the death of a guest. The confrontational talkshow, on air since 2005, was axed by ITV after a guest, 63-year-old construction worker Steve Dymond, was found dead in his home shortly after filming. The episode was never aired. A preliminary inquest hearing was told Dymond died of a morphine overdose and a heart problem. He had applied to be on The Jeremy Kyle Show to prove he had not cheated on his ex-fiancee. He failed a lie detector test and was booed and jeered by the audience. MPs and members of the public subsequently called for the programme to be scrapped, and a parliamentary inquiry into reality TV was launched. Kyle, 56, said he was unable to leave the house and, when things got “really bad”, went to see a doctor who diagnosed him with an anxiety disorder. He said he was unable to defend himself in the aftermath of Dymond’s death, and was unfairly blamed personally for the “terrible tragedy”. He told the Sun: “I used to think ‘Get a grip’ when some celebrities talked about those sort of problems. “But suddenly I realised first-hand you can’t always do that. I never thought they would affect me like they did. That was a shock – but I’ve always said: ‘If you have a problem, admit it, and then seek the proper help.’ So that’s what I did.” He added: “Critics will say I got a taste of my own medicine but I’d been through a fair amount up until that point – and I guess it all caught up with me at once.” Kyle said he did not want to sound “woe is me”, acknowledging Dymond’s death was devastating for his friends and family as well as the many people who worked on the show. “But it did hit me hard. And it’s been awful to feel so scapegoated, and without being able to have my say about the accusations that often seemed to be levelled only at me. I’ve felt hunted and made out to be responsible for everything that ever took place around that show. But I was just the face of it. “A hundred people lost their jobs that day, and I felt truly awful for them too and worried for their futures. But I felt completely alone.” He added: “When the time is right and it is appropriate to do so, I will have my say.” On Saturday, talkRadio confirmed Kyle will host a weekday show starting on 13 September. The station shared an interview with Kyle, in which he said: “Listen, I have been cancelled. In this world it seems now that unless you follow a certain path, you are labelled. You have to fight back.” In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org