Graham Thorpe Took His Own Life After Battle With Depression, Confirms Wife Amanda

Ex-England cricketer Graham Thorpe who passed away on August 5, took his own life after battling chronic depression, his wife Amanda revealed.

Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe who passed away on August 5 at the age of 55, took his own life after battling chronic depression and anxiety due to his failing health in the last two years, his wife Amanda revealed. Thorpe played 100 Tests for England and later joined the coaching staff. He represented Surrey from 1988 to 2005 and accumulated over 21,000 runs throughout his First-Class career. Thorpe also scored 16 centuries in Test cricket.

Speaking to The Times‘ Michael Atherton who was also teammates with Thorpe in the England team, Amanda disclosed his struggle with depression. She shared that despite his love for his family, Thorpe's condition worsened, leading him to believe they would be better off without him. 

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“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 told The Times.

Thorpe's Condition Worsened Despite Treatments: Thorpe's Wife

Amanda expressed despite ‘many treatments,’ Thorpe’s condition never really got better and at times only got worse.

“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,” Amanda explained.

Kitty, Thorpe’s 22-year-old daughter shared that there is nothing to hide about what happened and however bad the news may be, they want to share what happened to raise awareness.

“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.”