Graham Thorpe took his own life after several years battling anxiety and depression – believing his wife and children were ‘better off without him’, his bereft family revealed today.
The left-handed Surrey batsman, a talisman for England and hero for many who grew up watching cricket in the 1990s, died aged just 55.
Mr Thorpe, a father-of-four, was seriously ill in hospital in May 2022 after trying to kill himself. He made a recovery but took his own life on Sunday.
Today his wife Amanda and their two daughters Kitty, 22, and Emma, 19, have spoken of his battle with mental health.
Mrs Thorpe said: ‘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’.
England legend Graham Thorpe took his own life, his family has revealed
Thorpe with his wife Amanda, their two daughters Kitty, now 22, and Emma, now 19, and his parents at Wrecclesham Village Fete in Surrey in 2016
England skipper Nasser Hussain (left) and Graham Thorpe (right) celebrate after England won a historic series win against Pakistan in 2000. They were best friends
The family now has plans to launch a foundation in his memory.
Mrs Thorpe told The Times: ‘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’.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk