Dele Alli’s birth mother has said she had “no idea” the Everton midfielder had been molested as a child until an interview he gave last week.
The England international has revealed he was abused by a friend of his mother when he was six, in a touching interview with Gary Neville.
Dele, 27, moved in with Alan and Sally Hickford when she was 12 and considers them her adoptive mother and father. He no longer has contact with his biological parents.
“I couldn’t stop crying since I heard my son describe the abuse he suffered as a child. I had no idea he had been touched.” his biological mother told the newspaper The Sun.
” I am very sorry. It breaks my heart to think that someone I let into my house betrayed my trust in the worst possible way. Words fail me to express how upset I am. I no longer have contact with my son and I only hope to have the chance to see him again”.
The ex-Tottenham star has given more details about his upbringing, which saw him deal drugs aged eight and be hanged from a bridge by a man despite not having only 11 years old.
“I haven’t really talked about it, to be honest. I mean I think there were a few incidents that might give you a brief understanding”did he declare.
“At the age of six, I was touched by a friend of my mother, who often came to the house. My mother was an alcoholic, and this happened when I was six years old. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline, then I was sent back.
