Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Ex-Olympic champ Mo Farah says he was brought to Britain illegally to work as a domestic servant

“The truth is I’m not who you think I am,” says Farah. “Most people know me as Mo Farah, but it’s not my name or it’s not the reality.”

Ex-Olympic champ Mo Farah says he was brought to Britain illegally to work as a domestic servant

OLYMPIC great Mo Farah was illegally trafficked to Britain at the age of nine from Djibouti and forced to work as a child servant, he has revealed, saying his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin.

The distance runner was flown to the UK from the east African country aged eight or nine by a woman he had never met, given the name Mohammed Farah, and then made to look after another family's children, he tells a BBC TV documentary "The Real Mo Farah" to be aired Wednesday.


Farah, who completed the 5,000m-10,000m double at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, has previously said he came to the UK as a refugee from Somalia with his parents.

But in stunning revelations the 39-year-old now says his parents have never been to the UK -- his father was killed in civil unrest in Somalia when Farah was four years old and his mother and two brothers live in the breakaway state of Somaliland, which is not internationally recognised.

"The truth is I'm not who you think I am," says Farah. "Most people know me as Mo Farah, but it's not my name or it's not the reality."

The woman who flew with him to the UK told him he was being taken to live with relatives and to say his name was Mohamed as she had fake travel documents that showed his photo next to the name "Mohamed Farah".

Farah, the first British track and field athlete to win four Olympic golds, said his children motivated him to tell the truth about his past.

"I've been keeping it for so long, it's been difficult because you don't want to face it and 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," he said.

"That's the main reason in telling my story because I want to feel normal and don't feel like you're holding on to something."

'Get out and run'

Farah's wife Tania said in the year leading up to their 2010 wedding she realised "there were lots of missing pieces to his story" but she eventually "wore him down with the questioning" and he told the truth.

When he arrived in the UK, Farah says the woman who accompanied him took a piece of paper from him that had his relatives' contact details and "ripped it up and put it in the bin.

"At that moment, I knew I was in trouble," he says.

Farah says he was forced to do housework and childcare "if I wanted food in my mouth", and was told: "If you ever want to see your family again, don't say anything."

"Often I would just lock myself in the bathroom and cry," he says.

Farah's physical education teacher, Alan Watkinson, noticed how the youngster's mood changed when he was on the running track.

"The only language he seemed to understand was the language of PE and sport," says Watkinson.

Farah says it was athletics that enabled him to escape.

"The only thing I could do to get away from this (situation) was to get out and run," he says.

Farah eventually told Watkinson the truth and he informed local authorities.

It was Watkinson who applied for Farah's British citizenship which he described as a "long process" and on July 25, 2000 Farah was recognised as a British Citizen.

"I often think about the other Mohamed Farah, the boy whose place I took on that plane and I really hope he's OK," said Farah.

Farah was praised on Wednesday for telling his story.

"We applaud @Mo_Farah for his bravery in telling his heartbreaking story," tweeted Britain's Refugee Council charity.

"He underlines the human reality at the heart of so many stories like his," it added. "And the desperate need for safe and humane routes for people seeking asylum."

(AFP)

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less