Graham Thorpe, the former England cricketer, died after being struck by a train in Surrey. It has been confirmed by his family that he took his own life.
Thorpe had attempted to take his own life in May 2022, but despite treatment, remained seriously ill.
“For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety,” said his wife, Amanda. “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.
“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.
Thorpe played 100 Tests for England between 1993 and 2005 and was a huge figure at his county, Surrey. He worked as England’s batting coach until early 2022, but lost his job after an Ashes defeat in Australia.
He was one of England’s cricketing stalwarts in a time when the national team generally performed poorly.