Graham Thorpe 'took his own life', reveals former England cricketer's wife
"For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety," Amanda said
cFormer England cricketer Graham Thorpe, who passed away last week, “took his own life”, his wife has revealed.
Thorpe’s wife Amanda told The Times in England, “Despite having a wife and two daughters (Kitty, 22, and Emma, 19) 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.”
“We are devastated that he acted on that and took his own life,” she added.
Further, she said that Thorpe was suffering from major depression and anxiety.
“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,” she told the newspaper.
Thorpe, who played 100 Tests for England, died at the age of 55 last Monday (August 5).
In a statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the death of Thorpe but did not give details about the exact cause of his death.
“The cricket world is in mourning today. Our hearts go out to his wife Amanda, his children, father Geoff, and all of his family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time. We will always remember Graham for his extraordinary contributions to the sport,” ECB had said.
Suicide helpline numbers:
(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)