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England former cricketer and coach Graham Thorpe took his own life, his wife and children have revealed after suffering “major depression and anxiety”.
Thorpe died at the age of 55, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on 6 August, but the former Surrey batter had been ill since May 2022.
His wife Amanda revealed he made a serious attempt on his life two years ago and did not get better.
“For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety,” she told his former teammate Michael Atherton in the Times.
“Despite glimpses of hope 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. Despite having a wife and two daughters whom he loved and who loved him, he did not get better.
“He was so unwell in recent times and he really did believe that we would be better off without him and we are devastated that he acted on that and took his own life.”
After what happened in May 2022, the current England players had a shirt in tribute to their batting coach, with captain Ben Stokes leaving the field in a shirt that read ‘Thorpe 564’ for his first toss as England captain.
One of his two daughters, Kitty, aged 22, adds: We are not ashamed of talking about it,”
“There is nothing to hide and it is not a stigma. 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.”
Thorpe played exactly 100 Tests for England and scored 16 centuries before retiring in 2005, having scored 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66 and went on to become England’s batting coach, a position he held until 2022.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
