Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe took his own life after years of battling depression and anxiety, the late cricketer's family have confirmed. (More Cricket News)
The 55-year-old passed away on August 5 and his demise was announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Thorpe's wife has revealed in an interview to former England captain Michael Atherton that he had a long mental and physical battle with himself before he took his own life.
"Despite having a wife and two daughters whom he loved and who loved him, he did not get better," Thorpe's wife was quoted as saying by 'The Times'.
"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."
A ceremony was held before the start of a match between the Farnham Cricket Club and the Chipstead Cricket Club last Saturday in memory of Thorpe, which was attended by his wife and their daughters Kitty (22) and Emma (19).
"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," she said.
His wife revealed that despite his work assignments, Thorpe continued to suffer.
"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 said.
Thorpe was one of the finest players in his generation and took up coaching after retiring from cricket in 2005. He served as the England cricket team's batting coach between 2010 and 2022.
In March 2022, he was appointed as Afghanistan's national head coach but did not take up due to his ill health.
(With PTI inputs)
