The late Thorpe, an England legend with over 100 Tests under his belt, took his own life in August 2024<\/a> just two-and-a-half years after an Ashes<\/a> defeat saw him relieved of his duties by the England and Wales Cricket<\/a> Board (ECB).<\/p>\n Amanda Thorpe, his wife of 17 years, is insistent that had Thorpe been offered means of staying connected to the cricket world in the pivotal months after his dismissal, \u201cit is really clear (to her) that he would still be alive\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he’d had just a little bit of the support framework there to lean on a bit to just transition a bit more, it would have made all the difference,\u201d she said in an interview with talkSPORT<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the inquest into his suicide<\/a>, coroner Jonathan Stevens said the former England batsman\u2019s exit \u201chad a devastating effect on him\u201d because he \u201chad lost his cricket family\u201d, with a 4-0 Ashes tour loss sparking his dismissal.<\/p>\n Spiralling into a depression after being sacked, an incident involving a leaked video of him mocking police officers in Australia that same year had also left him \u201cabsolutely gutted\u201d, with Amanda saying he was \u201creally teetering on the edge\u201d.<\/p>\n While Stevens said there were \u201cshortcomings\u201d in his healthcare during the final months of his life, he could not \u201cfind any criticism in the ECB\u2019s decision to terminate his contract\u201d.<\/p>\n Having received mental health<\/a> treatment for 18 months while still under contract, the ECB continued to provide this care after his dismissal, with Stevens noting that it had \u201cfunded treatment, hospital stays and extended his health treatment insurance\u201d.<\/p>\n Ten online counselling sessions were organised as a three-month extension of his employee medical insurance, which was part of his severance package.<\/p>\n However, Amanda described the support provided by the ECB as \u201cwoeful\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAs he went through these sessions, it was clear that he wasn\u2019t coping. He was getting worse,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n \u201cWe really did ask for help. I knew he needed more help than that. And, it wasn\u2019t forthcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n In March 2022, one month after his sacking, Thorpe\u2019s counsellor made a written recommendation that he should be transferred to a residential home to receive in-person care, which did not come to fruition.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n A mural dedicated to Graham Thorpe at The Kia Oval after his death was announced (Getty)<\/p>\n Two months later, in May 2022, a failed suicide attempt left him in intensive care for two weeks. The ECB paid for a four-week stay in a north London hospital for neuro-rehabilitation upon learning this development.<\/p>\n Amanda believes this necessary level of support only came when Thorpe was \u201cfive minutes from death\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was too late, basically, after the crisis [in May 2022], he was very ill,\u201d she said. \u201cHe nearly lost his life. He had a stroke. We don\u2019t know how that affected his brain after that.\u201d <\/p>\n Amanda noted that Thorpe was approached about an England scouting role by the ECB towards the end of 2022 \u2013 an offer she described as \u201ctragic\u201d and one that could have saved his life if it had come sooner.<\/p>\n Demanding greater scrutiny on the manner in which her late husband was sacked, Amanda argues that while an employee\u2019s medical privacy is important, it shouldn\u2019t mean an employer is completely left in the dark about an illness.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ECB might say, well, we didn\u2019t know how ill he was,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cAlthough the doctors he was under did know, but then they sort of said, oh, but there\u2019s confidentiality. There\u2019s got to be some connection [between the ECB and their doctors].\u201d<\/p>\n An ECB spokesperson described Thorpe as \u201ca deeply admired and much-loved person\u201d, saying: \u201cHis loss has been felt deeply across the cricketing community and far beyond, and our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with his wife Amanda, his children, and all those who loved him.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Amanda Thorpe (left) at the inquest over her husband\u2019s suicide (PA Wire)<\/p>\n \u201cGraham\u2019s passing is a heartbreaking reminder of the challenges many face with mental health. His death was examined by a coroner; the inquest was held earlier this year with full support from the ECB. We have met with Amanda to discuss her concerns and have been in regular contact with her and the wider family.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Amanda was left completely let down by her meeting with the ECB after Thorpe\u2019s death, saying that she and her daughter left their encounter with the board in tears.<\/p>\n \u201cIt occurs to me that, unlike the other coaches’ wives who\u2019ve told me they\u2019ve been on the wrong end of the ECB treatment, I don\u2019t have a husband who needs to work in cricket anymore\u2026 so I can speak up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut this is also about helping, you know, changing things and helping the next generation and making things better in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n The Independent have contacted the ECB for comment.<\/p>\n 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@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans<\/a> website to find details of your nearest branch<\/p>\n 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 988lifeline.org<\/a> 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 www.befrienders.org<\/a> to find a helpline near you<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282559,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-282558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cricket","8":"tag-cricket","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2170184974.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Amanda](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/55b7d7b3ea9595845306f0e36c71fdc0Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzUzMzY1MDAx-2.81074393.jpg\")
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