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Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe tragically died in August last year after being hit by a train, following prolonged mental health struggles and losing his coaching role.
Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe (AFP)
Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe, aged 55, tragically passed away in August last year after being struck by a train at Esher railway station. An inquest at Surrey coroner’s court revealed that his death followed a prolonged period of mental health struggles. His widow, Amanda Thorpe, revealed that the former batsman had expressed thoughts of ending his life and even asked her to assist him in travelling to Switzerland for assisted dying.
“The weeks leading up to his death, he told me he doesn’t want to be here any more,” she was quoted as saying by The Times.
“He asked me to help him end his life. He said he wants to go to Switzerland,” she added.
Thorpe’s mental health significantly deteriorated after losing his role as England’s batting coach in 2022. His dismissal followed a controversial video during the Ashes tour in Australia, showing him smoking a cigar indoors, which violated local laws. Amanda Thorpe stated that the incident marked a turning point in his life.
“He came back from the tour of Australia in a terrible state,” she shared.
“To be sacked after that — I think it was foreseeable that it would be really really hard on him. If he hadn’t been on that Tour, then he wouldn’t be dismissed and that was ultimately what he couldn’t deal with,” Mrs Thorpe added.
What Happened To Graham Thorpe?
In 2022, shortly after his dismissal, Thorpe attempted to take his own life and was in a coma for three weeks. Although he later signed a coaching contract with Afghanistan’s national team, his health issues prevented him from taking up the job.
“He tried to do it but he was spiralling down. He signed a contract and I had to tell them he was too unwell to do that job,” she said.
By June 2024, his condition worsened—he stopped eating, withdrew from loved ones, and became deeply isolated. She described him as being in “real crisis and despair.”
On the day of his death, Amanda noticed that Graham had left the house without their dog, which was unusual. She later received a heartbreaking message from his father, Geoff Thorpe, that simply read, “He’s gone.”
Graham Thorpe had a distinguished international cricket career, playing 182 matches for England and scoring 16 Test centuries. He was respected for his resilience and skill on the field. In his honour, a tribute will be paid during the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval on August 1, what would have been his 56th birthday.
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