England cricket great Graham Thorpe took his own life after battling depression and anxiety, his wife Amanda has revealed.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the shock news of Thorpe’s death last week. He was just 55.
Tributes quickly came flowing in for the cricket great.
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Thorpe won 100 Test caps during a stellar England career and was regarded as one of the best batters of his generation.
He also later went into coaching, including spending time with the New South Wales state side and England’s national team.
In March 2022, he was appointed coach of Afghanistan, but never began his role. At the time, it was reported he was “seriously ill”.
In an interview with The Times, Amanda Thorpe revealed that in fact her husband had attempted to take his own life two years ago before doing so last week.
“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,” she said.
“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.
“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.”
Eldest daughter Kitty said the family were not ashamed of talking about it and hopes to raise awareness by sharing the cause of death now.
“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,” she said.
“He had loved life and he loved us but he just couldn’t see a way out. It was heartbreaking to see how withdrawn he had become. He was not the same person. It was strange to see this person trapped in the body of dad.
“That’s why we’ve been so happy that the many reflections have been about his life before this illness took over. I’m glad that’s how everyone does remember him, rightly so, as the complete character he was.”
Thorpe made his international debut in 1993 and scored a century on his first Ashes appearance, becoming the first England player to do so in 20 years.
He was an England regular, scoring 16 Test centuries and featuring 82 times for the ODI side.
His final Test appearance came in June 2005 before he was omitted from that summer’s victorious Ashes series and called time on his international career.
Thorpe stayed in the game after his retirement from playing, moving to New South Wales where he worked with a young Steve Smith and David Warner.
He returned to work with England between 2010 and 2022. Thorpe took charge of his country in the familiar surroundings of the Sydney Cricket Ground after Chris Silverwood was laid low by coronavirus, securing a nailbiting draw to avoid a seemingly inevitable Ashes whitewash.
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
– With AAP