BBC One’s The Real Mo Farah documentary will air tonight at 9pm and follows the powerful journey of Olympian Mo Farah as he uncovers the truth about his childhood. Mo was trafficked to the UK from Somaliland at the age of nine to work as a “domestic servant”.
In the documentary Mo, whose birth name is Hussein Abdi Kahin, reveals that he grew up during the Somali civil war and that his father was killed when he was four. He discusses the guilt of feeling he’d taken another person’s place by being trafficked into the UK using their name.
Later in the show Mo discovers what happened to the ‘real’ Mo Farah whose passport was used to traffic him into the country. It is one of many unsuspecting twists the hour-long documentary holds, with Mo Farah’s difficult start in life revealed.
Read More: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was brought into the UK illegally aged nine under another child's name
In the documentary Mo battles with the thought that his own family may have been involved in his trafficking. He tells cameras: "The hardest thing is admitting to myself that someone from my own family may have been involved in trafficking me."
Sir Mo revisits the shack in Djibouti where he lived with his uncle before being trafficked to the UK by a woman who was unknown to him. He recalls how he had been told he was “visiting relatives” in the UK, only to arrive and realise he was being used as a “domestic servant”.
Mo also returns to the farm where he spent his early years in Somaliland, bringing his son Hussein, five, to see Mo's mother and twin brother. Today Mo has four children with his wife Tania Nell, and won four gold medals for Britain.
In one emotional clip his mother tells him that she had no idea that he’d been sent to the UK, believing that he was living with his uncle in Djibouti. Mo explains how the media coverage surrounding his success as a young athlete in the early 2000s had been seen in Somaliland, with someone alerting his mother that he was in the UK.
Mo has revealed the dark truth behind his success after 30 years because he wants to "feel normal", he shares during the documentary. The Olympian adds that he’d been "holding on to something" by keeping the secret.
But even telling the secret of the illegal means by which he was trafficked into the country posed a scary challenge to Mo, with the documentary showing him meeting with his lawyers to discuss the potential consequences. Since filming the Home Office has reassured Sir Mo that “no action” will be taken against him. A spokesperson told The Mirror: "No action whatsoever will be taken against Sir Mo.”
What is Mo Farah's real name?
In the documentary Mo reveals that his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin. It states that the Olympian will continue to use the name Mo Farah.
What happened to Mo Farah’s dad?
Mo Farah's father Abdi was killed by shrapnel from a bazooka that hit him "on the head" whilst he was farming. Mo was just four-years-old at the time.
Mo tells the camera: "Due to civil war happening between the north and the south, there were a lot of people fighting where he was and there was a massive bazooka shot. It hit the ground, flew into pieces and one piece hit him on the head.
"At that point, that was it - our life was changed and it changed all of us. To me, the hardest thing is, until this day, I don't even know what he looked like."
Where is Mo Farah's twin brother now?
Mo Farah's identical twin brother Hassan features in the documentary. He tragically explains how Mo was taken to travel to the UK whilst he slept believing that they would travel together.
Mo told The Times Radio earlier this year: "We're identical twins but now we look a little different thanks to my sporting background. He's back in Somaliland with a lot of kids."
He added: "I always thought I would see him again, and I did. We're still close and still have a good bond."
Mo has previously stated that his brother Hassan has ten children and works as a telecoms engineer in Somalia, the Sun reports. In the documentary, Hassan picks Mo up from the airport as he first did in 2000 when they reunited.
When did Mo Farah get British citizenship?
Mo Farah was given British citizenship on July 25 2000 under the name Mo Farah. His PE teacher Alan Watkinson and other teachers at his school, Feltham Community College, applied to get him citizenship so that he could compete abroad for Britain.
The documentary will air tonight on BBC One at 9pm, Wednesday July 13, and is available on iPlayer.
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