The wife of former England cricketer Graham Thorpe has revealed he took his own life after a years-long battle with anxiety and depression.
Thorpe’s death at the age 55 was announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board on 5 August.
His cause of death was not given at the time but his wife Amanda and daughter Kitty told The Times on Monday that he “took his own life” after “suffering from major depression and anxiety”.
Mrs Thorpe also revealed he “made a serious attempt on his life” in May 2022, which resulted in a period in intensive care.
“For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety. This led him to make a serious attempt on his life in May 2022, which resulted in a prolonged stay in an intensive care unit,” she told former England cricketer Mike Atherton during the newspaper interview.
“Despite glimpses of hope and of the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times got very severe.
“We supported him as a family and he tried many, many treatments but unfortunately none of them really seemed to work.
“Graham was renowned as someone who was very mentally strong on the field and he was in good physical health. But mental illness is a real disease and can affect anyone.”
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Thorpe played for England between 1993 and 2005 and still holds the record of being its 10th highest scorer of all time.
The left-handed batsman scored 16 centuries across his test and ODI career, which included 17 years for Surrey.
He captained England three times and moved to coaching after his playing days were over. Thorpe relocated to New South Wales to work with Australian players before returning to England to be a batting coach.
In 2022, he was appointed Afghanistan’s head coach but was declared “seriously ill” in hospital shortly after.
‘We’re not ashamed’
His daughter Kitty told The Times her family wants to open the conversation about chronic mental ill-health and suicide.
“We are not ashamed of talking about it. There is nothing to hide and it is not a stigma,” she told Atherton.
“We were trying to help him get better before and trying to protect him, which is why we said nothing. This is the time now to share the news, however horrible it is. We’ve wanted to be able to talk and share and we’d now like to raise awareness, too.”
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Tributes to him flooded in after news of his death broke.
The ECB’s statement said there were “no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel”, describing him as a “beloved member of the cricket family and revered by fans all over the world”.
“His skill was unquestioned and his abilities and achievements across a 13-year international career brought so much happiness to his teammates and England and Surrey CCC supporters alike,” it read.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
