Graham Thorpe’s cause of death revealed by family

Graham Thorpe, the legendary England cricketer, tragically took his own life after a long battle with depression and anxiety, his family has revealed.

In an interview with The Times, Thorpe’s wife Amanda and their daughters, Kitty and Emma, shared that the former England batsman died by suicide last Sunday. 

Thorpe had struggled with mental health issues for years and had attempted to take his life in May 2022. Despite receiving treatment and showing occasional signs of improvement, his condition remained severe.

Amanda explained, “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 emphasized the seriousness of mental illness, noting that despite Graham’s strength on the cricket field and his physical health, he could not overcome his mental health struggles. 

“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. Despite having a wife and two daughters whom he loved and who loved him, he did not get better," Amanda said.

“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,' she further added.

Kitty, Thorpe’s eldest daughter, added that the family is not ashamed to talk about what happened. 

"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," Kitty said.

The Surrey coroner is set to hold an inquest into Thorpe’s death on Tuesday. Since the news broke, tributes have been pouring in for Thorpe, who played 100 Tests for England from 1993 to 2005 and was a beloved figure at Surrey County Cricket Club. He served as England’s batting coach until early 2022, when he lost his job following a series defeat in the Ashes against Australia.