Latest news with #GrahamThorpe
The Australian
9 hours ago
- The Australian
Graham Thorpe death: England star's wife reveals tragic details
England cricket star Graham Thorpe asked his wife to help him end his life in a Swiss clinic before he was hit by a train, an inquest heard. The dad, 55, was found dead on August 4 after a heartbreaking battle with anxiety and depression for several years. His wife Amanda today told an inquest how Thorpe had begged her to help him die when his mental health 'spiralled'. She said: 'The weeks leading up to his death, he told me he doesn't want to be here any more. 'He asked me to help him end his life. 'He said he wants to go to Switzerland. I was in turmoil.' The Surrey left-hander had previously tried to take his own life in 2022 after losing his coaching job with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Amanda told the court Thorpe had found Covid lockdown 'very difficult' and 'stressful'. His dad Geoff agreed with the statement, saying: 'Everything was fine until Covid.' He said Thorpe was 'not a fella who likes to be cooped up' and also told how his son's life had come 'crashing down' when he lost his job with the ECB. Geoff continued: 'What you've got to realise is sometimes us chaps are a little bit macho – we can cope. 'In fact, we can't.' The inquest was told Thorpe was dismissed from his role following an 'incident' surrounding a viral video. According to reports at the time, the video was filmed after a dismal Ashes series which England lost 4-0. It showed Tasmanian police breaking up a drinking session involving both England and Australia players. The leak of the footage caused Thorpe to be dismissed from ECB and he ended up in hospital for eight weeks due to a suicide attempt in 2022. Assistant coroner Jonathan Stevens said: 'Things continued to go downhill, he was really struggling, had anxiety and insomnia and it was all really dark.' Thorpe made repeated threats to kill himself and by June 2024, he lost interest in food and 'wanted to hide away, totally isolated, in real crisis and despair', the court heard. On August 4 that year, he left home and was never seen alive again. Amanda believed he had gone out to walk the dog but saw the pet at home still so tried to call her husband. The court heard she then received a call from Thorpe's dad telling her: 'He's gone'. Amanda added: 'He never really recovered from (his first suicide) attempt. 'He came back from the tour of Australia in a terrible state – lots of things, the video, the environment, the set-up. 'To be sacked after that I think it was foreseeable that it would be really really hard on him.' Thorpe made his international debut in 1993 and scored a century on his first Ashes appearance, becoming the first England player to do so in 20 years. He was an England regular and went on to play 100 Tests, scoring 16 centuries and featuring 82 times for the ODI side, as well as enjoying a 17-year career with Surrey. His final Test appearance came in June 2005 before he was omitted from that summer's victorious Ashes series and called time on his international career. The inquest continues. This story originally appeared in the Sun and has been republished with permission. Cricket The new tough-talking, pot-stirring English cricket team is suffering from a baffling identity crisis on the eve of the Ashes tour, going into meltdown after two Indian batters had the audacity to tell them 'no'. Cricket Fuming England skipper Ben Stokes rebuffed a handshake offer and his players dished out verbal abuse to the visiting team as they held on for a gritty draw | WATCH
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
When Pujara batted with his father on surgeon's table, when Sampras won Australian Open for cancer-ridden coach, a case for cricket's silent battles…
One of the most arresting images of this Test series would be Rishabh Pant walking in to bat despite his fractured foot and Old Trafford giving him a standing ovation. This act of courage to battle on one foot would have inducted him in the yet to be built cricket's Hall of Fame of the Walking Wounded. Other pictures expected to be placed on the proposed Wall will be those of Anil Kumble bowling with a strapped jaw and Malcolm Marshall batting with a plastered hand. These are wounds the world can see and can also connect to. Who hasn't experienced a scratch or bruise and not known physical pain? But this isn't the only suffering known to man or endured by the sportspersons. Like Pant, Kumble and Marshall, there have been equally courageous cricketers, if not more, who have dealt with much deeper wounds that even painkillers can't extenuate. Not everyone knows, or understands, the weight of carrying a deep worry or some pain deep inside when walking on the field. Those who battle the pain inside aren't eulogised enough. During the next Test at The Oval, there would be acknowledgement of internal conflicts, angst, guilt and mental trauma that players endure on cricket's unbearably long tours. The long and storied cricketing tale of England and Surrey player Graham Thorpe will be remembered and celebrated during the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar series. He was a family man and the immensely likeable Thorpey for his team mates. The middle-order batsman once scored a gritty 118 runs off 301 balls at Lahore to give England a rare win in Pakistan. It was hailed as a tenacious knock of a mentally-strong batsman, little did the world know that the batsman was dealing with anxiety and depression for several years. ALSO READ | 'He asked me to help him end his life': Graham Thorpe's family tell inquest Even after his playing days, he remained on the circuit, Thorpe was England's batting coach but was sacked after the 2022 Ashes tour where a video of him, in company of cops, at a drinking session emerged. This incident, and the sacking, would spiral him into depression. Now it has emerged that during this period, Thorpe had asked his wife Amanda to 'to help him end his life'. A few weeks later, Thorpe, 55, took his life, hit by a running train. His one-time teammate Michael Atherton, in a touching piece in the Times on his late friend he grew up with, would recall the mental breakdown Thorpe suffered during the Lord's Test of 2002. About that period Thorpe had later written: 'There came a time when I would have given back all my Test runs and Test caps to be happy again'. Former England opener Marcus Trescothick too dealt with the demons in his mind during a glittering career of 76 Tests and an average of 43. Missing home and being absent when the family needed him were the reasons for his trauma. But like Thorpe, on the field, he was the trusted solid opener. A tough wicket for the opposition and a reassuring presence for his team. Incessant touring saw him torn between his professional commitments and family responsibilities. He once had to rush home as his wife was dealing with postpartum depression and a seriously ill close relative. When Trescothick rushed home only to be received by his baby who failed to recognise him, he couldn't take it anymore. He quit international cricket and played for his county so that he can be back home to catch 'Peppa Pig' or 'Dora the Explorer' with his kids. Players over the years have walked to the turf distracted by worrying news from home – an ailing child or hospitalised relative. They didn't wear bandages, they didn't hobble to the ground, their scans didn't make it to the headlines and they didn't get a standing ovation. Many times the world didn't even know about it. Babar Azam's mother was on a ventilator when he was opening the innings, stitching the unbeaten partnership with Mohammed Rizwan, in the 2021 T20 World Cup game against England. His father, in an Insta post, revealed that 'on the day the match was against India, Babar's mother was on a ventilator. He played all three matches in severe distress.' For Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara during the 2018-19 historic series of Australia, where India won the series, he too had got disturbing news. For a while his wife hid the doctor's advice after his father's heart condition. But on the day of the surgery, she did inform her husband. It was a surreal experience for the Pujara family. When his wife and father were in the hospital lobby, watching on the television, he was on the way to the most difficult hundred of his career. On Pakistan's 2019 tour of England, Pakistan batsman Asif Ali was going through hell. He was making arrangements for his daughter's treatment on the phone, arranging for her travel to the US. It was on this tour, he hit a career-best score. Tragedy struck Asif towards the end of the tour when he was told that his daughter had moved to the other world. On rare occasions, the world gets to see a player dealing with mental trauma. During the 1995 Australian Open, Pete Sampras was on court playing his arch rival Jim Courier. This was just a day after his long-time coach Tim Gullikson had to go home after scans had shown he had brain cancer. He seemed to be gulping down the lump in his throat and the pain inside with water. That's when someone from the crowd shouted: 'Do it for your coach, Pete'. Sampras broke down, he was wiping his tears between rallies. Courier would offer help from the other side of the court – 'We can do this (the match) some other time.' Sampras acknowledged his rival's sympathy but continued playing to win the thrilling five-setter. This was triumph much bigger than any of his Slams. This was an athlete achieving a far tougher test than winning the battle on one foot.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Family of Graham Thorpe want to ‘reduce stigma' of mental health after ex-cricketer's death
The family of former England cricketer Graham Thorpe want to 'reduce the stigma' felt by people who suffer from bad mental health. Speaking outside Surrey Coroner's Court in Woking after the inquest into Mr Thorpe's death, his widow Amanda said the family would be working together with mental health charity Mind to "reduce the stigma by sufferers, especially middle-aged men". Mr Thorpe died on the morning of August 4, 2024 after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey. Coroner Jonathan Stevens recorded a conclusion of suicide at the inquest. Mrs Thorpe said: 'We will never get over the tragic loss of Graham, and we miss him every day. She added: 'He was my best friend, my soulmate, and he was just a joy. 'And he loved life – but he got very ill.' Coroner Stevens said there were 'failings' into Mr Thorpe's care provision before he died. Mr Stevens said: "In my judgment there were shortcomings in the care that should have been provided to Graham in the last four months or so of his life." He added, "there were failings in the provision of his care" but said he cannot on the evidence conclude the failures were gross, and therefore could not conclude that if it were not for the failures, Mr Thorpe would not have died. The coroner said there was no evidence upon which he could make a finding of neglect in the case. Mr Stevens added: "It's clear there were shortcomings in his care. If he had been seen in those last four months, particularly after that incident on June 28, I cannot say whether it would or would not have made any difference." Mr Thorpe's cause of death was recorded by a pathologist as multiple injuries, the coroner said. Mr Thorpe was a mainstay in the England set-up for many years, first as a batter between 1993 and 2005 before spending 12 years in coaching roles. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to to find a helpline near you.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Graham Thorpe's care had 'failings' in last months of his life, says coroner
There were 'failings' in the provision of former England cricketer Graham Thorpe's care in the months before he died, a coroner has said, as a conclusion of suicide was recorded at an inquest. Thorpe, 55, died on 4 August 2024 after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey. He had 'spiralled into depression' after losing his job as a batting coach in 2022, and tried to take his own life on another occasion, Surrey coroner's court heard. He also asked his wife for help to end his life. The coroner, Jonathan Stevens, said the last time Thorpe was seen in person by healthcare professionals was on 26 March 2024. 'In my judgment there were shortcomings in the care that should have been provided to Graham in the last four months or so of his life,' he said. Stevens added that 'there were failings in the provision of his care', but said that, on the evidence, he could not conclude those failings were gross and that, without them, Thorpe would not have died. He said healthcare appointments were offered to Thorpe, but he 'found it hard to attend these' because of his mental health. Stevens found that 'someone should have gone to see him to properly monitor and assess him, to do a face-to-face risk assessment and understand and address his care needs as required by the care plan'. The inquest heard that healthcare professionals did not consider Thorpe to be in a 'crisis situation' after he missed an appointment with the community mental health team on 28 June. At the time, Thorpe's wife, Amanda, told his care coordinator over the phone that her husband had been asking her 'for help to end his life'. During the same phone consultation, Thorpe said he 'hadn't been out for a while' and 'didn't see the point of being here', but had no immediate plans to act on his suicidal thoughts. The coroner said: 'I don't accept that when Graham was constantly asking his wife to help him end his life, which was a new presentation … that he was not at that point in crisis. 'It's clear there were shortcomings in his care. If he had been seen in those last four months, particularly after that incident on 28 June, I cannot say whether it would or would not have made any difference.' In May 2023, Thorpe had suicidal thoughts and was given inpatient treatment. Stevens said that 'some similar protective measures should have been considered in June 2024'. An investigation was carried out by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS trust after his death. Thorpe was a mainstay of the England men's cricket team for many years, as a batter between 1993 and 2005, and then as a coach for 12 years. During his international career, he struck 16 Test hundreds for England, including a debut century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993. In all formats, he represented his country 182 times. Amanda Thorpe told the inquest the termination of his employment with the England and Wales Cricket Board was a 'real shock to Graham', which was the 'start of the decline of his mental health'. Speaking outside the coroner's court, she said: 'We will never get over the tragic loss of Graham, and we miss him every day. He was my best friend, my soulmate, and he was just a joy. And he loved life – but he got very ill.' Mark McGhee, the family's legal representative, said the coroner had found 'significant shortcomings' in the care provided. He said Thorpe's family 'hope that the coroner will address these concerns' so that such a loss 'never happens again'. Jo Lynch, the chief nursing officer for the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS trust, said: 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Graham Thorpe and our thoughts are with Graham's family and loved ones. 'We will reflect on the coroner's findings and our role in Graham's care with a view to continuous improvement and learning.' In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Family of Graham Thorpe want to ‘reduce stigma' of mental health after ex-cricketer's death
The family of former England cricketer Graham Thorpe want to 'reduce the stigma' felt by people who suffer from bad mental health. Speaking outside Surrey Coroner's Court in Woking after the inquest into Mr Thorpe's death, his widow Amanda said the family would be working together with mental health charity Mind to "reduce the stigma by sufferers, especially middle-aged men". Mr Thorpe died on the morning of August 4, 2024 after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey. Coroner Jonathan Stevens recorded a conclusion of suicide at the inquest. Mrs Thorpe said: 'We will never get over the tragic loss of Graham, and we miss him every day. She added: 'He was my best friend, my soulmate, and he was just a joy. 'And he loved life – but he got very ill.' Coroner Stevens said there were 'failings' into Mr Thorpe's care provision before he died. Mr Stevens said: "In my judgment there were shortcomings in the care that should have been provided to Graham in the last four months or so of his life." He added, "there were failings in the provision of his care" but said he cannot on the evidence conclude the failures were gross, and therefore could not conclude that if it were not for the failures, Mr Thorpe would not have died. The coroner said there was no evidence upon which he could make a finding of neglect in the case. Mr Stevens added: "It's clear there were shortcomings in his care. If he had been seen in those last four months, particularly after that incident on June 28, I cannot say whether it would or would not have made any difference." Mr Thorpe's cause of death was recorded by a pathologist as multiple injuries, the coroner said. Mr Thorpe was a mainstay in the England set-up for many years, first as a batter between 1993 and 2005 before spending 12 years in coaching roles. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to to find a helpline near you.
