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, August 4.
FAMILY STATEMENT
Today his wife Amanda and their two daughters Kitty, 22, and Emma, 19, have spoken of his battle with mental health – and their hope that his battles on and off the pitch will continue to inspire.
Mrs Thorpe said today: ‘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’.
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Her husband was considered a genius with the bat – a lover of a party with a rebel streak. His two daughters have revealed that he rarely spoke about his legendary status as a cricketer – telling them ‘he knocked a ball about a bit’ – and how he loved his family and would ‘get up and dance anywhere, to anything’.
‘That’s the Graham I know and remember and loved. Graham was a free spirit. My favourite memory of him is in Barbados, which he loved, enjoying a rum punch and listening to his favourite reggae after a swim.
‘He was handsome, so handsome. He was funny and he made us all laugh so much’, Mrs Thorpe told The Times’ Michael Atherton – his friend and former England teammate.
