Graham Thorpe’s wife Amanda has revealed the former England cricketer took his own life after battling depression and anxiety for several years, with police confirming on Monday he had died following an incident on a railway line near his home.
Aged just 55, Thorpe’s death earlier this month plunged the cricket world into mourning for the popular star.
He enjoyed an impressive England career as an elegant batsman from 1993-2005, before spending 12 years in various coaching roles. But Thorpe was hospitalised in May 2022 and declared “seriously ill”.
Amanda Thorpe has now disclosed, in an interview with The Times, that the former Surrey batsman attempted suicide two years ago before taking his own life.
“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 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.”
An inquest into Thorpe’s death is due to open at Surrey Coroner’s Court in Woking, southwest of London, on Monday, with the coroner having received a referral from the British Transport Police.
The force said: “Officers were called to Esher railway station at 8.26am (0726 GMT) on 4 August to reports of a casualty on the tracks.
“Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”
Surrey Coroner’s Office
A spokesperson for Surrey Coroner’s Office said: “We can confirm that the Coroner has received a referral for a Mr Graham Thorpe from the British Transport Police.
“A post mortem examination has been undertaken and Mr Thorpe’s body released to his family.”
The left-hander featured in 100 Test matches and 82 one-day internationals for England, scoring over 9,000 runs for his country, including 16 Test hundreds.
But he was unable to overcome his mental health battle despite the support of his family and doctors.
“Despite glimpses of hope and of the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times got very severe,” Amanda Thorpe said.
“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.”
