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The father of England cricket legend Graham Thorpe has made the poignant admission that he still watches videos of his late son playing.
Thorpe died after being struck by a train on August 4 last year and the three-day inquest into his death last week recorded a verdict of suicide.
It also found that he had been let down by doctors and the mental health provisions of the NHS.
Friday would have been his 56th birthday and ‘A Day for Thorpey’ is being held at The Oval during England's fifth Test against India, seeing his trademark headband sold to raise money for the charity Mind.
Thorpe's family will be present and his father, Geoff, 83, told the Telegraph, he 'loves' watching old cricket videos of his son.
He said: 'I watch the shots: the cover drives, the pulls – it’s a nice feeling. I’ve got one video where he got a hundred in the Benson & Hedges Cup. David Lloyd was commentating and he said, "Watch his eyes – he’s looking at the gaps". You watch and think, "Yes, that’s where the ball went".
The father of late England batsman Graham Thorpe says he still watches his batting videos
‘A Day for Thorpey’ is being held at The Oval on Friday during England's Test against India
Joe Root wears one of the headbands that will be sold to raise money for Mind charity
'I have a lot of pride in what he did. You can’t take it away. It’s just a shame that he couldn’t cope with his mental health. When he died, I received a lot of letters. This suicide… this mental health… it’s a big, big problem. It smothers you if you don’t talk.
'I go to his grave occasionally. You have your moments of grief. But you try to find something to do very quickly. We all grieve differently. Sometimes us chaps are a little bit macho. We think we can cope. In fact we can’t.'
Graham's mental health deteriorated after he lost his job as England's assistant coach following the 2021-22 Ashes tour of Australia.
His family said Thorpe was demonstrating the classic symptoms of depression - he was not eating, was losing weight, had struggled to find motivation, could see no future for himself, and was often unable to engage with support services.
His widow, Amanda, said her husband struggled with Covid lockdowns, and then with being sacked by the ECB after a disastrous Ashes tour.
She said her husband's mental health got so bad he thought it would be better for his family - including adult daughters Kitty and Emma - if he was dead.
Amanda told Thorpe's inquest: 'The weeks leading up to his death, he told me he doesn't want to be here any more. He asked me to help him end his life. I was in turmoil.'
Back in 2018, Thorpe was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and his condition deteriorated during the pandemic and Ashes tour of 2021-22. He was said to be 'distraught, horrified, ashamed and terrified' at a leak of a late-night video he'd shared with friends had been leaked on social media and the inquest heard that he apologised to all the players and staff personally.
Thorpe played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs for England between 1993 and 2005, and was a coach during the 2021-22 Ashes series in Australia, which England lost 4-0
Thorpe attempted to take his own life in April 2022, leaving him unconscious for three weeks and in intensive care for more than a month.
The inquest found that there had been shortcomings in the care Thorpe subsequently received, finding that doctors repeatedly failed to follow up.
He wasn't seen once in the final four-and-a-half months of his life by the psychiatrist in charge of his care, and twice at all by any of his local support team, despite making repeated references to suicidal thoughts.
The inquest heard Thorpe's previous care coordinator, Jessica Harris, had worked hard to establish trust with her patient, and would arrange to visit him at home if he ever felt unwell enough to attend.
Yet the inquest in Woking today heard she had left her role in February 2024, and Thorpe's attendance at meetings plummeted.
Ms Harris' replacement, Katie Johnson, managed to speak with Amanda, Thorpe's wife of 17 years, on June 28 and reported his condition had deteriorated still further.
In her note to colleagues, Ms Johnson wrote: 'He cannot get out of bed, constantly asking [Amanda] to help him end his life.
Thorpe, pictured at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2007, accompanied by his wife Amanda, and children Kitty (three) and Emma (20 months)
'Amanda said he has really tried but he cannot get over what he did,' deemed to be a possible reference to either losing his job or his failed suicide attempt.
She added: 'He is so sure nothing is going to work, he has convinced her it's cruel to go on, he wants to go to Switzerland,' in reference to the Dignitas euthanasia clinic.
Dr Baheerathan denied the suggestion from Mr McGhee that this showed Thorpe was planning to end his life, requiring an urgent escalation in his care.
'It was not a plan, it's a thought,' the psychiatrist said. 'He has to go on the flight, make several arrangements. It's just a thought he shared with his wife.'
But Ms Johnson admitted she interpreted this as Thorpe saying he wanted to end his life. Yet the next recorded appointment for Thorpe to see anyone was on August 9 and his death came five days earlier.
Thorpe will be remembered at The Oval on Friday and no doubt his father Geoff and the fans present will be treated to old footage of his batting prowess.
He played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs for England between 1993 and 2005.
Funds from headband sales will be specifically used to roll out Mind’s ‘Bat and Chat’ community cricket sessions around the country.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit samaritans.org.
