Thorpe tragically passed away in August last year after being hit by a train.
Former England batter Graham Thorpe, aged 55, tragically passed away in August last year after being hit by a train at Esher railway station.
An inquest at Surrey coroner’s court claimed that his death happened after a extended period of mental health struggles. His widow, Amanda Thorpe, revealed that the elegant left-hander had expressed thoughts of ending his life and even asked her to assist him in the same.
“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 worsened significantly after losing his job as England’s batting coach in 2022. His sacking followed a controversial video during the Ashes series in Australia, showing him smoking a cigar indoors, which violated local laws.
Amanda 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.
Thorpe had previously attempted suicide in 2022, which led to him spending three weeks unconscious in hospital. Despite being offered a coaching role with Afghanistan's national team later, he was too unwell to take the position.
“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.
His condition deteriorated by June 2024, with Mrs. Thorpe describing him as having "no interest in food" and wanting to "hide away, totally isolated, in real crisis and despair."
The tragic end came when Mrs. Thorpe noticed that her husband had left home without their dog, and later received the heartbreaking message from Geoff Thorpe, Graham's father, simply saying, "He's gone."
Graham Thorpe played for England between 1993 and 2005, appearing in 100 Tests and 82 ODIs. The southpaw slammed 16 Test hundreds for England, including a debut century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993.