Sir Mo Farah, 39, one of Britain's greatest ever athletes, has revealed that he has been using a fake name and that he entered the UK illegally as a child and has been using a fake identity ever since.
The four-time Olympic champion made the statement as part of a documentary series on his life in which he reveals that he was trafficked from Somaliland aged 7 and forced to work as a house servant in London for a family that he did not know.
Mo had previously said that he had travelled with his family as a child to the UK legally, however, he has now said that he is actually from Somalia, that his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin, that his family have never been to the UK, and that his father was killed when he was aged just 4.
Mo has lived in the UK since his arrival, has three children, and was knighted by the Queen in 2017 for his services to British sport.
He said in the documentary film:
"There's something about me you don't know. It's a secret that I've been hiding since I was a child. I've been keeping it for so long, it's been difficult because you don't want to face it. Often my kids ask questions — 'Dad, how come this?' And you've always got an answer for everything, but you haven't got an answer for that. That's the main reason in telling my story because I want to feel normal and not feel like you're holding on to something. To be able to face it and talk about the facts, how it happened, why it happened, it's tough. The truth is I'm not who you think I am. And now whatever the cost, I need to tell my real story."
Adding:
"My dad went to look after cattle and never came back. Due to the civil war happening between the North and the South, there were a lot of people fighting where he was. There was a massive bazooka shot. It hit the ground and flew into pieces and one piece hit him on the head and just straight off, off the head there. To me the hardest thing is, till this day, is like, I don't even know what he looked like."
Aged 14, Mo was selected to go overseas to run in a competition but had no UK passport, it was then he revealed his true identity to his PE teacher Alan Watkinson.
Mr Watkinson helped him get British citizenship under a false identity, guaranteeing Mo stayed in the country.
The Home Office has stated that it will take no action against Mo despite technically breaking the law in order to get British citizenship.
[Based on reporting by: The Sun]
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