Jeremy Kyle has spoken out on the personal impact of losing his daytime TV show and says he felt "completely alone" and "scapegoated" over its cancellation.

The confrontational talk show host – who was once part of Kent's Invicta FM – was ousted by ITV bosses and his programme pulled following the death of a guest, Steve Dymond in May 2019.

The 63-year-old is understood to have taken his own life shortly after failing a lie detector test in an episode the broadcaster decided not to screen.

The programme, which had been a regular fixture in the TV schedule since 2005, was axed following a backlash from MPs and members of the public.

Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins was among those who grilled the controversial host's role in a Commons committee – which the ITV star did not attend - saying he should be "held to account" for the practices of the show.

Now Jeremy Kyle has spoken out on the personal impact of the programme's cancellation, saying he felt “hunted” and “scapegoated”.

He told The Sun newspaper: “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.”

Jeremy Kyle was briefly signed by Kent's Invicta FM in 1996 which would later become part of the Heart network, before its eventual closure locally in 2019.

The broadcaster told The Sun he was housebound and due to his low mood went to see a doctor who diagnosed him with an anxiety disorder.

He added he does not want to sound “woe is me”, acknowledging that what happened was a “terrible tragedy” and “devastating” for Mr Dymond’s friends and family as well as the many people who worked on the show.

"But it did hit me hard," he explained. "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.”

A preliminary inquest hearing was told that Mr Dymond died of a morphine overdose and a heart problem at his home in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

He had “failed” a lie detector test for the programme to show whether he had cheated on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan, from Gosport.

Following the cancellation of the daytime show, MPs launched an inquiry into reality TV.

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