Graham Thorpe ‘brought so much joy & life was never dull – he tried so hard to beat depression’, heartbroken wife says
GRAHAM Thorpe’s heartbroken wife has described how the legendary cricketer brought joy to everyone as he battled hard to beat his horrible depression.
Widow Amanda has said the England cricketer “loved life” and made sure it was “never dull” during their 17-year marriage.
The beloved cricketer tragically took his own life last August, at the age of 55, following a long battle with depression.
Writing in The Times, Amanda recalled her husband’s passion for cricket, saying he would talk to almost anyone about it.
She also explained how Graham had “tried so hard to beat [depression]” by going through a number of therapies and medications.
The widow also praised the cricketer for being “kind and funny”, and remembered him doing incredible accents in after-dinner speeches, joking that he could have been a stand-up comic.
Amanda explained it was hard for her to see both the Graham that was enjoying his life and the Graham that tragically took his own life after two and a half years of anxiety and depression.
She said she had never seen her husband act out of the ordinary, but added that Covid restrictions took a toll on his mental health.
Graham lost his coaching job after England were beaten in the 2021-22 Ashes series in Australia.
Despite being appointed as coach of the Afghanistan men’s team, Amanda says his “anxiety and depression escalated to a point where he became very unwell“.
Amanda believes that something may have been chemically imbalanced with Graham’s brain, adding that he felt “immense shame” about how he was.
But the widow says there should be no stigma around the suffering that Graham went through.
She said: “It felt like he was in the grip of a sickness he just couldn’t get out of.”
The widow is currently trying to raise awareness and to increase understanding of the mental health condition.
Graham 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 went on to become an England regular, playing 100 tests.
Obituary: Graham Thorpe, 1969-2024
By John Etheridge, Cricket Correspondent
GRAHAM THORPE, who has died aged 55, was England’s best batsman between the end of David Gower’s career and the start of Kevin Pietersen’s.
Indeed, many reckon he was at least as good as either Gower or Pietersen. Thorpe was a nuggety left-hander who could attack or defend, display a care-free approach or iron-willed patience.
He was good against fast bowling and an absolute master facing spin. Thorpe was one of the first names on any England team sheet for more than a decade in the 1990s and 2000s.
Thorpe later became a well-regarded coach in both England and Australia and is the man credited as the first to spot the potential of Joe Root.
He had a huge influence on Ben Stokes’ batting, especially against spin.
His innings of 113 not out against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2001 was one of the finest ever played for England. It is rarely mentioned alongside the barnstorming efforts of Stokes or Ian Botham but, make no mistake, it was an all-time heroic performance in extreme heat against top-class spin.
Thorpe scored 32 not out in the second innings (out of 74-6) as England won by four wickets. He was so shattered that he missed the team party that evening.
Thorpe was born in Farnham, Surrey, and the story goes that he switched to left-handed because the legside boundary in his back garden was shorter that side. He was good enough at football to play for England age-group teams but opted for cricket.
He played for Surrey, England A and, in 1993, scored an Ashes century on his Test debut against Australia at Trent Bridge.
He made another brilliant century – 138 – against the Aussies at Edgbaston in 1997. He and Nasser Hussain put on 288 for the fourth wicket and England won by nine wickets. It was an almost unique match of England domination in an era of ritual hammerings by the old enemy.
Thorpe’s highest Test score was a blazing 200 not out from just 231 balls against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2002. It was eclipsed by Nathan Astle’s brutal 222 from 168 deliveries in the same match but England still won comfortably.
In another famous win, Thorpe scored 64 not out as England beat Pakistan in Karachi in 2000 by six wickets. It was virtually dark at the end and there were no floodlights.
Thorpe’s final Test innings was 66 not out against Bangladesh in 2005 but England decided to drop him to accommodate the recently-qualified Pietersen. So Thorpe took no part in the greatest Test series of all time against Australia that summer.
He scored 16 centuries in exactly 100 Tests with an average of 44.66.
Thorpe moved into coaching, working in Australia for New South Wales, where his charges included youngsters called David Warner and Steve Smith.
He was England’s lead batting coach for several years and an assistant-coach on the Ashes tour of 2021-22.
Away from the pitch, Thorpe’s first marriage broke down very publicly and he missed some cricket as a result. He had two children.
Thorpe found love again and married Amanda and she became a regular when he toured as part of England’s coaching team.
He was his own man – he was fined £1,000 for refusing to attend an official function during the 1999 World Cup, for example – but I liked him a lot. He was open, honest and with a self-deprecating humour.
After England’s defeat in the Fifth Test in Hobart, Thorpe lit a cigar while drinking indoors with players from both teams. The police were called and he filmed their arrival on his ‘phone, providing a commentary. Within hours, the footage went public.
Thorpe lost his job after England’s 0-4 defeat in that series but, within weeks, he was hired to become head coach of Afghanistan. He never took up that position, however, and in May of 2022, the PCA put out a statement revealing that Thorpe was “seriously ill” in hospital.
He was not seen again in cricket circles after that although some of his former team-mates tried to keep in touch. The cricket world will be deeply shocked and saddened by his passing.
The ECB said in a statement: “There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham’s death.
“More than one of England’s finest-ever batters, he was a beloved member of the cricket family and revered by fans all over the world.
“His skill was unquestioned and his abilities and achievements across a 13-year international career brought so much happiness to his team-mates and England and Surrey CCC supporters alike.
“Later, as a coach, he guided the best England men’s talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game.
“’The cricket world is in mourning today. Our hearts go out to his wife Amanda, his children, father Geoff, and all of his family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time. We will always remember Graham for his extraordinary contributions to the sport.”
Graham also scored 16 centuries and featured 82 times for the ODI side, and had 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 following year he was made an MBE and worked as an analyst for the BBC and Sky Sports and as an assistant coach in Sydney for New South Wales.
Graham was described as a “wonderful person” by Stuart Broad and as a “hero, mentor, and so much more” by Joe Root, following his death.
Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan described him as a great player and brilliant team mate on X at the time of his death, adding: “You have gone far too young but you leave as an England cricket legend.”
Graham’s outstanding talent saw him score 6,744 runs in 100 Tests, an average of 44, while his cheeky personality, which sometimes got him into trouble, made him a favourite with fans.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123