The 'step-daughter' of tragic Jeremy Kyle guest Steve Dymond has insisted the show is not to blame for his death.
Sophie Fifield, 25, daughter of Steve Dymond's fiancee Jane Callaghan, is pleading with ITV bosses to bring back the series after it was taken off-air in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Steve died days after he took a lie detector test on the show to prove he hadn't been unfaithful to Sophie's mum Jane, and he was left devastated after it came back positive.
Sophie, from Gosport, Hants, has told the Daily Star that she doesn't hold ITV bosses responsible for what happened.
She said: “I think the show should carry on.
“It is not down to Jeremy – it is not his fault at all really.”
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Sophie, who was on the show herself six years ago, added that didn't believe Steve when he said he didn't cheat.
She said: "My stepdad failed so he must have been lying. He was always lying but he was convincing.
“It is a bit selfish of Steve. He should have just sucked it up and been a man and dealt with his problems. He shouldn’t have left my mum like that.
“I think he couldn’t deal with the lies. Nobody deserves to die but I just feel bad for my mum.”
The Jeremy Kyle Show was taken off-air indefinitely following the death of Steve, who overdosed a week after filming a segment for series.
Steve had taken a lie detector test to convince his fiancee Jane he had not been unfaithful, but they split after he failed the test on camera.
There's now mounting pressure on ITV to scrap the programme altogether.
Even Theresa May speaks out over 'deeply concerning' Jeremy Kyle guest death said she was "deeply concerned" about the potential link between the death and Steve's TV appearance.
"Broadcasters and production companies have a responsibility for the mental health and well being of participants and viewers of their programmes," her official spokesman said this evening.
"We are clear they must have appropriate levels of support in place."
ITV said staff at the broadcaster and the show's production team were "shocked and saddened" at his death.
Theresa May speaks out over 'deeply concerning' Jeremy Kyle guest death
In a further statement this afternoon , the channel said: "ITV has many years experience of broadcasting and creating programmes featuring members of the public and each of our productions has duty of care measures in place for contributors.
"These will be dependent on the type of show and will be proportionate for the level of activity of each contributor and upon the individual. All of our processes are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are fit for purpose in an ever changing landscape.
"In the case of The Jeremy Kyle Show, the programme has significant and detailed duty of care processes in place for contributors pre, during and post show which have been built up over 14 years, and there have been numerous positive outcomes from this, including people who have resolved complex and long-standing personal problems."
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, if you'd rather write down how you're feeling, you can email jo@samaritans.org
