Sir Mo Farah has revealed the truth about his childhood as a child trafficked to the UK from Somaliland, in a new BBC documentary. The Real Mo Farah is available on iPlayer and will air on BBC 1 tonight, Wednesday July 13, at 9pm.
In the hour-long documentary, 39, attempts to uncover why and how he was brought to the UK as a nine-year-old child and poorly treated as a “servant” for another family. The Olympic medalist tells viewers: “There’s something about me you don’t know. It’s a secret that I've been hiding since I was a child.”
Mo Farah reveals that his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin and that he grew up during the Somali civil war. In one emotional clip the athlete recalls the moment in 2000 that he was handed a cassette tape that contained a message, poems, and traditional songs from his mother who he hadn’t seen or heard from in over a decade.
Read More: Sir Mo Farah reveals he was brought into the UK illegally aged nine under another child's name
Mo’s mother Aisha talks to the camera about reconnecting with her son after more than ten years apart. She said: “I had a motherly urge to find him, and I was made aware he was in the UK.”
He told the camera: “My mum’s name is Aisha, I'll never forget my mum on that tape. On the other side of the tape it had the number on it. It said, if this is a bother or causing you trouble, just leave it, you don’t have to contact me. And I’m going, of course I'm going to contact you. At that point that’s when I first called my mum.”
Shortly after, Mo saved up enough money to travel to Somaliland to visit his twin brother and mum. He spoke of his relief that everyone was alive and well.
The documentary followed Mo and his son Hussein, five, as he returned to the farm where he spent his early years in Somaliland to meet with his mother, the group paid their respects at Mo's father's grave Abdi. Mo Farah and his mother appeared to have a close relationship in the documentary and were making up for lost time.
Today Mo has four children with his wife Tania Nell, and won two gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics. Sir Mo was knighted in 2013.
During the documentary, Sir Mo also revisits the shack in the neighbouring country of Djibouti where he lived with his uncle. He says: "The hardest thing is admitting to myself that someone from my own family may have been involved in trafficking me."
Mo made the decision to stop hiding the truth after 30 years because he wants to "feel normal", he shares. He adds that he’d felt as if he was "holding on to something".
Having revealed the illegal means by which he was trafficked into the country, the documentary shows Mo 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.”
The powerful documentary will air on BBC One at 9pm tonight, Wednesday July 13, it is also available to view on iPlayer.
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