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| *Thorpe seeks help |
IAN Thorpe - Australia's greatest Olympian - has gone home afterbeing admitted to a Sydney hospital to fight his decade-long battle with depression and alcohol abuse.
Thorpe is believed to have left hospital care for home early this morning, having been under medical supervision since Wednesday night.
The champion swimmer spent time at Bankstown Hospital and Strathfield Private Hospital in the latest chapter of his grave fight against illness.
After The Daily Telegraph broke the story of Thorpe's hospital admission, beyondblue chief executive Kate Carnell commended the 31-year-old for his bravery in seeking help.
"It is a very brave move from Ian and I commend him for it," she said.
"Far too many people, and particularly men, never take action to get appropriate treatment for depression and can spend their whole lives battling it alone.
"Also, far too many people self-medicate with alcohol, which may provide temporary relief, but can do enormous damage to a person's wellbeing in the long-run.
"As one of the world's greatest swimmers, Ian showed enormous strength, resilience and tenacity, and we all adored him for it.
"Australians loved and supported him when he was winning and he needs our love and support again now."
Family members have revealed Thorpe was injured in a fall earlier this week before they sought medical help, and he was admitted to hospital on Wednesday night.
Today, his manager denied he was in rehab and claimed he was in hospital for a shoulder operation.
Thorpe's struggle - including that failed comeback attempt for the London Olympics - has become the saddest and most heartbreaking story in Australian sport.
The setback has shocked his closest friends, who he has been socialising with since returning to Australia to stay with his parents at their Panania home over Christmas.
The smiling exterior in public has often disguised his private battles with depression and alcohol abuse.
Broadcaster Alan Jones, himself recovering from recent back surgery, is one of Thorpe's closest associates and spoke to the swimming champion recently.
"Yes, it's serious but there's not a lot I can or want to add," Jones said last night, "Ian is a beautiful person but he has difficulty recognising his problems."
Only last week the five-time Olympic gold medallist was spotted at the Australian Open in Melbourne. He appeared happy and cheerful but complained of constant pain from an old back injury.
In his autobiography published last year, Thorpe opened up about his struggles.
"Not even my family is aware that I've spent a lot of my life battling what I can only describe as crippling depression," he wrote.
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