The Olympic star revealed to the  BBC that as a child he was taken illegally to the UK and forced to  work as a domestic servant.

At the age of nine, he was flown from Africa by an unknown woman and later forced to look after another family's children, arriving in the UK as a refugee.

 The woman told him she was going  to take him to Europe, which thrilled the boy, whose real name is  Hussein Abdi Kahin. 

Using forged travel documents, Kahin entered the UK under the name 'Mohamed Farah'.

Upon arrival, the woman snatched a his piece of paper with the contact details of his relatives and, in front of him, threw it in the trash.

In order to eat, Mo had to do housework. If he didn't, he was punished in various ways.

During his early years, his family did not allow him to go to school, then,  at the age of 12, he enrolled at Feltham Community College.

After a while, his physical education teacher, Allan Watkinson, noticed a transformation in him when he stepped onto the athletics track.

 Sport was a lifeline for Mo:  "The only thing I could do to escape that situation in my life was  to go out and run."

Later, Mo confided in Watkinson about his true identity and background. The teacher contacted social services.

 After that, Mo was taken in by another Somali family, who helped him settle in much more and make a name for himself as an athlete.

Aged 14, Watkinson helped him apply for British citizenship under the name 'Mohamed Farah', which was granted in July 2000, allowing him to compete.

By telling his true story, Mo aims to challenge public perceptions of refugees, human trafficking and modern slavery.

After coming clean, the British superstar left a very clear message: "What really saved me, what made me different, was that I could run."