C4 Death on Daytime: Real life of Jeremy Kyle - phone licking habit, posh background, addiction and break-ups

The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed almost three years ago, but it's been brought back into the spotlight with a new Channel 4 documentary. The two-part programme, Jeremy Kyle Show – Death on Daytime, vows to uncover the 'scandal behind the hit series' after allegations about production practices and backstage behaviour emerged.

The ITV reality talk show, which ran from 2005 until 2019 and was filmed at Salford's MediaCity, was pulled following the death of guest Steve Dymond. For the 14 years it was on air, viewers saw host Jeremy act as a mediator for families facing personal dilemmas, such as cheating spouses.

But Jeremy's own life behind closed doors has been colourful, to say the least - with multiple marriages, addiction, and OCD.

READ MORE: What happened to Jeremy Kyle, where is he now and why did his ITV show get cancelled?

Jeremy, from Reading, comes from a well-off background, having attended an independent boys' school as a child - Reading Blue Coat School in Berkshire. His dad was an accountant and personal secretary to the Queen Mother for forty years.

The 56-year-old started his broadcast career in radio, where he went on to become a presenter for various stations, before moving into TV. When it comes to his love life, he's had multiple break-ups with three marriages and is now a father-of-five.

Jeremy was first married to Kirsty Rowley in 1989, before he found fame. Their daughter Harriet, now 31, was born a year later.

However their relationship didn't last long and their marriage broke down after two years. It was at a time when his gambling addiction spiralled and landed him in £12,000 worth of debt, the Mirror reports.

He opened up about overcoming his addiction in his 2009 book - I'm Only Being Honest - saying: "Gambling is the mistress that truly seduced me. I will never understand what a hit of heroin feels like, but gambling I get. Big time.

"Plenty of days I can remember taking money out of the cashpoint and going to the bookies and then losing and going again to the cashpoint — and back again and again...There was this pull and suddenly I was chasing money, trying to achieve something that has never been achieved: making a bookie poor."

Also in the book, he admitted he has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In a previous interview with theManchester Evening Newsahead of the book release, he spoke of his 'disgusting' habit to make sure his phone was clean.

"I realised how ordered my life was, I get up and mop the kitchen floor at 2am," he said. "I lick my mobile phone to make sure it's clean - I know it's disgusting. I did lick golf balls too until somebody told me a guy in America who did that died because of the pesticides."

His second wife was Carla Germaine, whom he married in 2002 after meeting her when he was presenting on a Birmingham-based radio show. She took part in a blind date wedding competition, but ended up tying the knot with Jeremy.

The couple welcomed three children together, but later split in 2015. He then found love for the third time when he began dating Vicky Burton, 38, in 2017, who was his children's former nanny.

They married in 2021 after having to reschedule their wedding six times amid coronavirus lockdowns. The pair's first child together, which is Jeremy's fifth child, was born in February 2020.

Earlier this week, Jeremy addressed the new Channel 4 documentary that aired on Sunday and Monday. Speaking on his talkRADIO drivetime show, he said: "I have maintained a consistent approach over the last three years. I have said that I will not comment on the tragic death of Steve Dymond until the legal process is finished, and that is a position that I will maintain."

Jeremy then added: "When, and trust me there will be a time after the inquest, when it is proper for me to have my say, because there are two sides to every story. I will do it here, and I will do it to you, and that is the most important thing."

ITV has said it does not "accept the central allegation of this programme of a 'bad culture' within the production team". The broadcaster added: "ITV would never condone any of its production staff misleading or lying to guests."

Jeremy Kyle Show: Death On Daytime is available to watch on All 4.

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