Jeremy Kyle Show pulled off air today and suspended indefinitely after guest died shortly after filming
ITV bosses released a statement saying how 'shocked and saddened' they were by the death
ITV bosses released a statement saying how 'shocked and saddened' they were by the death
THE Jeremy Kyle Show was pulled off air today and suspended indefinitely after a guest died shortly after filming.
Bosses at ITV today told The Sun that the Jeremy Kyle episode will never be screened and filming on future episodes has been halted pending an internal review.
Jeremy Kyle Show bosses hastily rescheduled an episode of Dickinson's Real Deal in the show's usual slot on Monday morning and are frantically rearranging their plans for the coming weeks.
One TV insider said: "It's everyone's worst nightmare and something that is taken extremely seriously by all involved.
"Jeremy and the team are very proud of the show and the aftercare which guests receive and in 14 years on air there has never been an incident like this.
"It's very saddening, but of course everyone understands that an investigation needs to take place before any more decisions can be taken about the future."
A spokeswoman said: "Everyone at ITV and The Jeremy Kyle Show is shocked and saddened at the news of the death of a participant in the show a week after the recording of the episode they featured in and our thoughts are with their family and friends.
“ITV will not screen the episode in which they featured
“Given the seriousness of this event, ITV has also decided to suspend both filming and broadcasting of The Jeremy Kyle Show with immediate effect in order to give it time to conduct a review of this episode of the show.”
The show's back catalogue has also been pulled from the ITV Hub catch up service.
It also means a celebrity special starring former EastEnders actress Danniella Westbrook and X Factor singer Christopher Maloney, which was due to air tomorrow, has been put on hold.
Jeremy, whose girlfriend is Vicky Burton, has been a mainstay of the ITV schedules since joining the network in 2005 and is now on a £2million a year deal to front the popular daytime talk show alongside documentaries.
After ITV decided to pull all traces of the show from its streaming services, fans quickly noticed the show was not airing as normal and were left confused by the sudden change.
Jeremy's flagship series remains the most popular programme on ITV's daytime schedules with an excess of one million viewers tuning in daily.
One fan tweeted: "I was wondering why The Jeremy Kyle Show wasn’t on this morning (not that I’d watch it if it was) and just found out a guest died shortly after today’s episode was produced. My deepest sympathy to family and friends."
Another asked: "Any idea where Jeremy Kyle is today?"
And one pondered: "Where is Jeremy Kyle this morning? He is not on TV."
However, others are hoping that the tragedy will spell the end of the long-running programme for good.
Comedian Kathy Burke wrote: "Hope it's the end of that vile, Kyle show."
Christopher Maloney and Danniella Westbrook were due to appear in a celebrity special tomorrow and have reassured fans it will still be aired at a later date.
Former X Factor star Christopher wrote on Twitter: "Hi guys, just spoken to the producers # ITVJeremyKyle and our celebrity special will be aired at a later date @ westbrookdanni will keep you updated. In the mean time my thoughts are with the family at this time."
It's not the first time a guest has died after appearing on the show.
In January, terminally-ill Liz Powell was plucked out of the queue by Jeremy and given a seat in the front row.
She was then shown a heartbreaking film where friends and family paid tribute to her.
Fans were devastated to learn that she lost her cancer battle days before the show aired.
It comes after two stars of ITV's Love Island, Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon, tragically died.