31 Jan 2014

Thorpe checks out of rehab: report

7:05 pm on 31 January 2014

Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe has reportedly checked out of rehab as he battles crippling depression and alcohol abuse.

The five-time Olympic champion is believed to have returned to a family home in Sydney after spending time at two hospitals in the latest round in a decade-long battle with his inner demons.

Friends say Thorpe has struggled to adjust to life after swimming and with the disappointment of a failed comeback at the London Olympics in 2012.

Thorpe announced last year he had given up hope of competing at the this year's Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Rio Olympics because of a shoulder injury.