Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe, who passed away last week, took his own life after several years battling anxiety and depression, his wife Amanda revealed.
'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' Michael Atherton -- his friend and former England team-mate.
Thorpe, who played 100 Tests from 1993 to 2005, scoring 6,744 runs -- including 16 centuries, at an average of 44, was regarded as one of the England batters of his generation. He served as England's batting coach and assistant coach before stepping down in February 2022 after a 4-0
He was appointed as Afghanistan's head coach in March 2022, but was hospitalised with a serious illness before he could join the team.
Shockingly, Amanda revealed that Thorpe was seriously ill in hospital in May 2022 after trying to kill himself.
'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.
'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.'
