Graham Thorpe took his own life after battle with depression, his wife has revealed

England cricket icon Graham Thorpe tragically ended his own life after a long battle with mental health issues, his wife has painfully disclosed in an emotional interview.

The nation was shocked to hear from the England and Wales Cricket Board that Thorpe had sadly died on August 5. Mourning his loss are his wife Amanda, daughters Kitty, aged 22, and 19 year old Emma, as well as first wife Nicky and their two kids Henry and Amelia.

Speaking to The Times, Mrs Thorpe said: "Despite having a wife and two daughters whom he loved and who loved him, he did not get better. He was so unwell in recent times and he really did believe that we would be better off without him and we are devastated that he acted on that and took his own life".

To honour the memory of Thorpe, who played for Surrey for an impressive 17 years and represented England with distinction, receiving 100 Test caps, Farnham held a remembrance service last Saturday. A poignant minute's silence was observed ahead of the Farnham Cricket Club's game against Chipstead.

Late wife Amanda added: "For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety. This led him to make a serious attempt on his life in May 2022, which resulted in a prolonged stay in an intensive care unit.

"Despite glimpses of hope and of the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times got very severe. We supported him as a family and he tried many, many treatments but unfortunately none of them really seemed to work.

"Graham was renowned as someone who was very mentally strong on the field and he was in good physical health. But mental illness is a real disease and can affect anyone."

His daughter Kitty said: "We are not ashamed