Best known in the U.K. for his confrontational and upfront interview style on The Jeremy Kyle Show, talk show host Jeremy Kyle has brought that same vibe to the American version of his similarly named stateside daytime program.

His challenge now is getting American audiences to know him - and for him to know American audiences.

Born in Reading, Berkshire, U.K., to an accountant and personal secretary to the Queen of England, Kyle grew up an avid football fan, pledging his allegiance to West Ham United.

He also developed obsessive-compulsive disorder, a disease with which he continues to battle today.

He attended private school, Reading Blue Coat School, in Sonning, Berkshire, and attended the University of Surrey after graduation. There he studied sociology and history.

After leaving Surrey, Kyle found himself a job as a life insurance salesman. He eventually moved on to radio advertising sales. With his foot in the door, Kyle made the move and became an on-air personality at Orchard FM and Leicester Sound, both U.K. radio stations.

During this time in his career, Kyle met his first wife, Kirsty Rowley. After an extremely short time dating - two months - the pair were engaged. Marriage followed seven months later. And less than a year later, the couple welcomed a daughter. Five months later, they were divorced.

Planting his TV roots in radio
After brief stints at Invicta FM and BRMB radio, Kyle moved to the Century FM network. At BRMB, Kyle developed a popular radio program called Jezza's Jukebox, which became Jezza's Confessions at Century FM.

That show became Jezza's Virgin Confessions on Virgin Radio in 2002. And, not surprisingly, when he moved to Capital FM in London, the radio show was rebranded Capital Confessions. In each incarnation, the radio host would take calls from listeners who would share their relationship issues and ask for advice. Kyle would give it to them, shooting from the hip.

As the show became more popular, Kyle's personal brand grew as well. The show was eventually recast as The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2006. It was syndicated a year later, airing on many of his previous radio stations. It also added celebrities interviews as a regular feature.

On to TV
Midway through his radio career and after the popularity of his Confessions program and the launch of the radio Jeremy Kyle show, Kyle took his talent to the airwaves with The Jeremy Kyle Show.

The show might seem like a traditional tabloid talk show, though it does try to expand the format by connecting guests with medical and mental health professionals during and after their appearance. Kyle has been referred to as the U.K. version of Jerry Springer, however.

The show calls this is "guest services program," and in the U.S. it is led by Dr. Janet Taylor, a prominent clinical instructor of psychiatry at Harlem Hospital and well-known media personality.

So in this way, The Jeremy Kyle Show is more of an "intervention" talk show, inviting guests to confront and resolve personal issues on the air. Much like an actual intervention, the show is fraught with conflict and drama, suggesting a potential to spin off its wheels at any time. This is part of the show's appeal, as well.

Expanded reach
The Jeremy Kyle Show isn't Kyle's only foray into broadcast television. He was also integral in the Kyle's Academy series on Britian's ITV 1. The show invited guests to reinvent their life after intensive training from life coaches and psychotherapists.

He even hosted a show called Half Ton Hospital that focused on the problem of obesity in America. Others shows include Military Driving School and High Stakes, a game show.

Fun Facts

• Kyle is a columnist, authoring Pick Me Up for a women's weekly magazine, and the syndicated Jeremy Kyle Says
• He authored the book, I'm Only Being Honest, which was part biography and part social commentary.
• He is married to former model Carla Germaine.