I Have Been Living A Lie My Real Name Is Not Mo Farah And I Was Trafficked Here After My Father Died In The Somalia War

The four-time Olympian, 39, bravely admitted he made key details about his move to the UK.
8 Four-time Olympian Sir Mo Farah reveals he is living a lie for fear of losing his British citizenshipCredit: Olympic pool 8 The running legend, real name Hussein Abdi Kahin, admitted he made up key details about his move to the UK (pictured reuniting with his mum after decades) Credit: BBC He previously claimed to have come with his father, but he was killed in Somalia’s civil war. Sir Mo – real name Hussein Abdi Kahin – tells a TV documentary that he was trafficked here to work as a servant. The running legend fears he will lose his British citizenship. The married father of three bravely admitted: ‘There’s something about me you don’t know. It’s a secret I’ve kept since I was a kid. “I’ve been holding it in for so long, it’s been hard because you don’t want to face it. Often my children ask questions — “Dad, how is this done?” And you always have an answer for everything, but you don’t have an answer for this. “That’s the main reason I’m telling my story because I want to feel normal and not feel like you’re holding something back. “Being able to face it and talk about the events, how it happened, why it happened, is difficult. The truth is, I’m not who you think I am. And now whatever the cost, I must tell my true story.” The revelations are revealed in a new BBC1 documentary, The Real Mo Farah, which will be shown tomorrow night. In it, Sir Mo – who has decided to keep his assumed identity – fears he may be stripped of his British citizenship for giving false details in his application. The 2012 Olympic legend, who was knighted five years ago, has always insisted his father was an IT consultant called Muktar, who was born and raised in London. He claimed his father then moved to Mogadishu and met his mother before returning to the UK, followed by his son when Somalia’s civil war deepened. However, his father was actually a farmer called Abdi and was killed in the conflict when his son was four. His mother Aisha later sent him to neighboring Djibouti for his safety. He wanted to be reunited with his twin brother Hassan. Instead, one of his relatives may have helped smuggle him into the UK, through a mystery woman. She said: “The hardest thing is admitting to myself that someone in my family might have been involved in trafficking.” 8 The champion reveals all in a new BBC1 documentary, including how he lied about his name as his father was killed in Somalia’s civil warCredit: NewsPics 8 National treasure says ‘The truth is I’m not who you think I am’ as he opens up about being trafficked to the UK to work as a servantCredit: AFP

“Bazooka Firing”

When he arrived, aged eight, she told him he was now called Mo Farah and had to take care of her family in exchange for them feeding him. Under that false name he applied for British citizenship – and by admitting it now he is putting his nationality at risk. However, the long-distance running icon – married to Tanya, with nine-year-old twin girls Aisha and Amani plus son Hussein, six – is determined to hang on. For most of his childhood and adolescence, he did not see his biological family, which had been “broken up” by his father’s death. He said: “My dad went to look after the cattle and never came back. Because of the civil war going on between the North and the South, there were a lot of people fighting where they were. “There was a huge bazooka shot. It hit the ground and flew to pieces and a piece hit him in the head and just left, from the head there. For me, the hardest thing is, to this day, I don’t even know what he looked like.” The documentary includes a clip of him on The Jonathan Ross Show recalling how excited he was to meet his dad when he first arrived in London. But he was actually taken by the mysterious woman to her family in Isleworth, West London, where he was forced to work for them. Deeply dissatisfied, he finally worked up the courage to tell his teachers and social services intervened. He was eventually cared for by a Somali woman, Kinsey, for seven years. My father went to look after the cattle and never came back. Mo Farah In the program she recalls how she felt compelled to save him by pretending to be his aunt. She said: “You weren’t happy. are you crying. Then I tried to find out what’s going on with you. The lady always makes you do the housework, take care of the children, give them their milk, change their diapers and all that.” He added of the mystery woman: “She did not bring you as a man.” Although his parents and brother never left his thoughts, Mo eventually received some sort of stability thanks to his adopted family. He was then able to cultivate his natural ability to run at Feltham Community College in Hounslow, West London. However, a major hurdle came when, at 14, he was selected to compete for English schools in Latvia. PE teacher Alan Watkinson said: “It wasn’t really very clear what Mo’s immigration status was. You know, he didn’t have the documents he would need to travel. “So we started this process to get him British citizenship as Mohamed Farah. Getting Mo to the point where you knew he had his British citizenship was quite a long process.’ As his athletics career blossomed around 2000, he received shocking news for his family back home. A customer at a Somali restaurant where he worked told him he had just seen his mom. Sir Mo recalls: “I was saying: Did I see my mum? She is alive;”. And he says, “Yes, she’s alive. Here’s a picture, so if you don’t believe me.’ And then he said, “Look, this is a tape for you.” “It wasn’t just a tape, it was more of a voice and then she would sing sad songs to me like poems or like a traditional song, you know. And I would listen to it for days, weeks. The side of the tape had a number on it and then it said, “If this bothers you or gives you trouble, just leave it. You don’t need to contact me.” And I say “Of course I want to contact you”. That’s when I called my mom for the first time.” 8 Upon arrival, aged eight, he was told by a mysterious woman that he was now called Mo Farah and had to take care of her family in exchange for being fed. 8 The married father of three, here with Tanya, is determined to find closure as he says ‘It’s a secret I’ve kept since I was a kid’ Credit: PA:Press Association 8 Sir Mo fears he could be stripped of his British citizenship for giving false details in his applicationCredit: Olympic pool 8 The Real Mo Farah, BBC1, tomorrow, 9pmCredit: BBC The documentary moves to Somalia where Aisha reveals: “When I heard him, I felt like throwing the phone on the floor and moving to him from all the joy I felt.” On an emotional journey, Mo and his son Hussein return to his village and see his father’s grave. His mother said: “Never in my life did I think I would see you or your children alive. We lived in a place with nothing, no cattle and ruined land. We all thought we were dying. “Boom, boom, boom” was all we heard. I kicked you out because of the war.” He said they were told they would all go together, but recalled: “When I woke up you were already gone. I wondered why they left me behind that night.” It’s just me. I don’t know how everyone will see it. Now I’m starting to understand me. Me, not Mohammed. Mo Farah In the documentary, he also discovers that the original Mo Farah was the stepson of the woman who brought him to Britain. He gets excited when he sees his namesake who has never been to the UK. Sir Mo said: “I always wonder, ‘Where is Mohammed?’ Are well? What would his life be like?’ Sir Mo’s true background became harder to hide after his heroics in 2012. He said: “The hardest thing for me was not being honest.” But he added: “I feel like something has been lifted off my shoulders. “But that’s just me. I don’t know how everyone will see it. Now I’m starting to understand me. Me, not Mohammed.”

THE Real Mo Farah, BBC1, tomorrow, 9pm.

FEARS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY

SIR Mo appears in the documentary with his wife Tania taking legal advice on his nationality dilemma. Lawyer Allan Briddock tells him it appears “there have been false statements”, adding: “There is therefore a legal power to remove your British citizenship.” However, she tells him that the risk is reduced because “you were forced as a very young child yourself to look after children and basically be a domestic servant”. He also said that Mo informed authorities: “That’s not my name.” But he added: “We don’t have a crystal ball. So we want to be absolutely clear that while we think it’s a low risk, there is a real risk of this happening.”