Piers Morgan has stepped up to defend his "villain-shamer" pal Jeremy Kyle and voiced his outrage over the decision to axe his show.
The Jeremy Kyle Show has been cancelled days after the death of guest Steve Dymond, who's believed to have taken his own life shortly after filming an appearance on the series.
Good Morning Britain host Piers, 54, has said he's a good friend of Kyle and insisted his show was just trying to do good.
In a piece for Mail Online , the presenter, who is also employed by ITV, wrote: "For many people at the poorer... end of the social spectrum, it represented... a chance... to be a local celebrity of sorts, and also to possibly resolve a personal problem or dispute in the process.
"I’ve met people who’ve appeared on it who say it was the highlight of their entire lives...
"For every angry, bitter implacable fight that erupted on their shows, they also did a lot of good too – reuniting people, solving problems, fixing marriages, and securing proper rehab treatment for those who may have needed it.
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"There was a clear social conscience that went with the titillation."
Morgan went on to defend Kyle personally, adding: "I know Kyle well and consider him a friend...
"He’s an intelligent man and highly skilled broadcaster with a genuine fascination about, and empathy for, so-called ‘ordinary people’."
He wrote that Kyle saw himself as a "truth-seeker", a "victim-supporter" and a "villain-shamer".
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Morgan compared Kyle to US TV counterpart Jerry Springer, who's own long-running talk show featured similarly fiery confrontations.
He also insisted critics of The Jeremy Kyle Show are just "pseudo-intellectual, supercilious snobs".
Morgan added: "I smell both the stench of rank hypocrisy and shameless snobbery in a lot of the gleeful commentary being spewed today in the wake of Jeremy Kyle’s demise."
ITV bosses confirmed the cancellation of the show this morning following the death of Steve, 62 - who suffered from depression.
He took part to prove he hadn't cheated on on-off fiancée Jane Callaghan.
But it backfired when he failed the lie detector test, allegedly prompting host Jeremy to "rip in to him" and Jane to end things for good.
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