Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe, who passed away on August 5 at the age of 55, took his own life after a prolonged battle with chronic depression and anxiety, as revealed by his wife, Amanda. Thorpe, who played 100 Tests for England and later served as a coach, struggled with his mental health due to declining physical health over the past two years.
Thorpe's cricket career was illustrious, representing Surrey from 1988 to 2005, amassing over 21,000 runs in First-Class cricket, and scoring 16 centuries in Test matches. Despite his successes on the field, his personal life was marked by severe mental health challenges.
In an interview with The Times’ Michael Atherton, who was also a former teammate, Amanda opened up about Thorpe's battle with depression. She shared that although he deeply loved his family, his condition deteriorated to the point where he believed they would be better off without him. "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," Amanda said.
Amanda further explained that Thorpe's condition did not improve despite numerous treatments. "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," she added.
Thorpe’s 22-year-old daughter, Kitty, emphasised the importance of raising awareness about mental health issues, stating, "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."