Original Summary

Debbie Beard and Amanda Thorpe on the loss of their husbands Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide and information some readers may find distressing Where do they even begin? Two women, united in grief, are meeting for the first time. Debbie Beard lost her husband just over a year ago. Matt Beard, the former Liverpool Women manager, died in hospital on 20 September 2025. He is believed to have taken his own life, though an inquest is yet to conclude. Amanda Thorpe's husband Graham, the former England and Surrey cricketer, took his own life in 2024. He had "spiralled into depression" after losing his job as a batting coach in 2022. The two women, who had never met before, came together at an event launched by the Prince of Wales and the Royal Foundation to urge sport at every level to make suicide prevention part of its culture through a new nationwide toolkit. There they spoke to the BBC's business editor Simon Jack , who was 17 when his father took his own life. On Your Side is a set of resources available online that aims "to make suicide prevention as much a part of sport as warm-up, training and performance". The background Getty Images / Former England international Graham Thorpe took his own life in 2024 after suffering from depression and anxiety Amanda Thorpe has said previously she believes her husband would still be alive had he received more support from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after leaving his coaching role. Following the inquest into his death, the ECB said it was "a profound tragedy" and added Thorpe's passing was a "stark reminder" of the challenges many face with mental health. Matt Beard died a month after leaving his role as manager of Burnley Women. He had been in the post for only two months. When the inquest into his death was postponed indefinitely, Burnley said they were "aware of an ongoing legal process" and would "not be making any comment at this time". Amanda: "Graham had been struggling for the previous year to 18 months during Covid. Graham didn't really like following rules and there were quite a few in Covid - like playing under bubble conditions. So he had been having some medication and therapy in his job. But then Graham lost his job and he didn't see it coming. "He did pride himself with having been in the game his whole life. He just couldn't believe that he was blindsided by it. "I think at least two other people were sacked at the same time, which does happen at the end of disastrous Ashes series. "Also he was probably drinking too much and found the whole of the last trip in Covid very stressful. He then took a playful video at the end of the tour, when they had a few drinks with the opposition. One of the players sent it to two friends and someone unfortunately leaked it, so it was in the Sydney Morning Herald." Simon: "Going for a few drinks with the opposition - you would think that that happens in sport all the time, but they lost?" Amanda: "Yes. It's OK if you win but you're not allowed to have a drink if you lose. He was probably in shock. He couldn't believe it. And he was embarrassed and ashamed about this stupid video, which to me he blew way out of proportion. But he was in this tunnel where he thought he'd messed it all up. So he went into a quick and steep decline." Simon: "During that period, what could have been done? You said that he was seeking some help. What might have made a difference, do you think?" Amanda: "He was having therapy sessions. He had 10 sessions. There's obviously the confidentiality but I found out after he made a very serious attempt on his life, when he really hurt himself very badly, that he'd mentioned suicide. I didn't know about that at the time. Of course, I feel that if I'd known, things could have been different. And I did feel that he wasn't really getting better. It was difficult. I felt like maybe he did need more help - maybe residential but we didn't really know where to find that." Simon: "Debbie, Matt also lost his job..." Debbie: "He did." Simon: "Were there any signs that he was struggling with mental health, and then was there a steep decline afterwards?" Debbie: "I think there were changes in behaviour, looking back. Performance-wise the team weren't doing well so there was a lot of abuse on social media. He could never really speak his truth during media interviews of what was going on behind the scenes and he used to sound off to me at home. "I've found out since that he had spoken to his brother quite a lot about his mental health. But whenever I would say to Matt 'how are things?', he'd be, 'I'm all right, I'm all right', because he always wanted the best for other people. "He didn't want to concern me and the family that he was having these thoughts and that he was going through these different struggles. "The sacking came out of the blue and there was a lot of speculation around that. He was starting to drink more than he would have done normally. In terms of his behaviour, I would say he was taking a lot of risks as well. So maybe that was the start of this with him." The highs and the lows of the job Amanda : "Graham was known as a tough competitor. He was a very happy person and loved life, but it can happen to anyone. He wasn't thinking straight really because everything kind of became a vortex. And he just sort of lost the ability to be able to be grounded and think straight. Also you think you're thinking straight when you're not." Simon: "One of the things about sport that's been discussed is that its reach is enormous. Coaches have a very intimate and closely proximate relationship with people. They can see what's going on with them - even at grassroots level. What would you encourage people to do if they see other people struggling, either in their family or in their community?" Debbie: "It's a very difficult conversation. It's very hard. But if you're with these people day in, day out, you notice the changes in them. Matt was very intuitive with h

中文概览

中文标题： 黛比·比尔德与阿曼达·索普失去丈夫——她们的故事

两位女性首次见面，讲述丈夫——前利物浦女足主帅马特·比尔德和前英格兰板球运动员格雷厄姆·索普——自杀离世。她们在威廉王子与皇家基金会活动上呼吁体育界将自杀预防纳入文化，并谈及心理支持不足。

  • 情报分类：综合情报
  • 分类依据：体育人物心理健康与自杀预防，归综合
  • 信息来源：英语新闻 / BBC News Top Stories
  • 发布时间：2026/9/24 13:16:40