Sir Mo Farah has bravely opened up about his heartbreaking past, revealing he was trafficked into the UK as a nine year old boy to work as a servant.
The Olympian runner was brought into the country illegally in the place of the real Mo Farah, who still lives in Somalia.
Mo isn't his real name - was actually born Hussein Abdi Kahin in Somaliland - and for most of his childhood he was forced to live with a couple and take care of their young children while his own family remained in Somalia.
His brother Ahmed Farah did live in London, but previously claimed he's been estranged from Mo for almost 10 years, admitting their relationship fractured when Ahmed was jailed for false imprisonment over his involvement in a knife raid in 2010.
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He served four-and-a-half years before being sent back to Somalia, as the Sunday Mirror previously revealed.
In 2019, Ahmed opened up about his pride for his brother, and his deep regret that they're no longer in touch.
He said: “I’m proud of Mo and everything he achieved. Mo has nothing to do with my deportation."
Of his crime, he continued: “Years ago, if they said this would be the outcome, I would have acted differently that night.
“I had just turned 20. I can’t blame it on anything. I made a mistake. I had to work at the age of 16 so my younger brother could have food and clothes and all of that stuff.
“When Mo was around he was an older brother to me, but I had to learn everything for myself.”
Ahmed recalled his fear at being dispatched to Africa after living in London most of his life.
He went on: “I was scared. I was being thrown into a place that was completely alien to me. It was a shock to the system. I had no plan whatsoever, not a penny, no family in sight.
“I slept in a hotel for a while. Eventually I found an uncle who took me in. I stayed with him for a while.
“Now I’m flowing about from sofa to sofa, but nowhere I could call home."
Mo is now married and has three children with wife Tania. They have a home in London and he spends much of his time training in the US.
Mo’s spokesman did not respond to requests for comment when approached by the Sunday Mirror at the time.
The Home Office said: “Mr Farah’s deportation was delayed because he submitted a number of appeals and legal challenges. At any point he could have voluntarily returned to Somalia.
“Foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them at the earliest opportunity. We have removed more than 50,000 foreign national offenders since 2010.”
* The Real Mo Farah, BBC1, 9pm, Wednesday 13 July.
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