The former England cricketer Graham Thorpe died after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey, the opening of an inquest into his death has heard. The 55-year-old took his own life, his wife, Amanda, revealed on Monday in an interview with the Times.
Thorpe died on the morning of 4 August having suffered “traumatic injuries” during the incident at Esher railway station, Surrey coroner’s court in Woking heard on Tuesday.
The area coroner for Surrey, Simon Wickens, recorded his cause of death as one of multiple injuries. He offered his condolences not just to Thorpe’s family, but to “all those touched by his life and career”. A date for the full inquest will be fixed at a later time.
The coroner had received a referral from British Transport Police. The force said previously: “Officers were called to Esher railway station at 8.26am on August 4 to reports of a casualty on the tracks. Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”
Amanda Thorpe told The Times that her husband attempted suicide two years ago. “Graham was renowned as someone who was very mentally strong on the field and he was in good physical health,” she said. “But mental illness is a real disease and can affect anyone. 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.”
Thorpe’s daughter Kitty said the family “are not ashamed” of talking about his death, adding: “There is nothing to hide and it is not a stigma.”
Thorpe, who 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, was admitted to hospital in May 2022 and declared “seriously ill”.
During a distinguished international career, he struck 16 Test hundreds for England, including a debut century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993, and represented his country 182 times in all formats.
Current Test players Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Ben Duckett hailed Thorpe after the news of his death emerged, while the retired England bowler Stuart Broad described him as a “wonderful person”.