Jeremy Kyle recalls being ditched by long-time showbiz friends after talkshow axe

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 3h

Jeremy Kyle says that he was ditched by some of his showbiz pals following the high-profile axe of his ITV talkshow in 2019.

Jeremy Kyle has said that some of his long-time showbiz pals ditched him after the high-profile axe of his talkshow two years ago.

After 14 years on the air The Jeremy Kyle Show was dropped by ITV in May 2019 following the suspected suicide of a man who had appeared on the show just a week earlier.

The incident led to a wider examination of the treatment of participants on reality TV and talkshows, while Kyle himself stepped out of the limelight and sought treatment for anxiety.

Speaking publicly for the first time in a few years, Kyle told The Sun: "It didn't take long for some people I've known for many, many years to just disappear.

"Some people were brilliant - Piers Morgan reached out straight away because he's that sort of guy, and he was brilliant.

"Kate Garraway, who is just extraordinary and has been through the most awful time herself recently, still takes time to get in touch, and I've helped her with her kids, too. Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford were amazing, so was Rob Rinder, and Declan Donnelly.

"But there were also lots who just never got in touch again even though we had worked together for so many years - it's very, very telling.

"It's a strange situation because you don't really want to talk to people when something like that happens, but then you're annoyed when they don't call too."

Kyle returns to the airwaves as the new host of talkRADIO's drivetime show starting on September 13.