“This is my country,” said Sir Mo Farah “with relief.” The Ministry of Internal Affairs will not take any action

Sir Mo Farah says he is “relieved”. Internal office has no plans to take action against him after making the shocking revelation that he was brought to the UK illegally as a child.

The four-time Olympic champion, 39, said there were many people he “owed his life to” and it gave him the “strength” to talk about his past.

Farah revealed in a BBC a documentary called The Real Mo Farah as it was brought to Britain from Somalia illegally, taking the name of another child, after his father died in the civil war.

He was later helped to obtain British citizenship by his school PE teacher, Alan Watkinson, while still using the name Mohammed Farah.

The UK Home Office has the power to legally strip people of their British citizenship if it is found to have been obtained illegally.

But the department said it would not take “any action” against the athlete.

A spokesman for the number 10 said of the Olympic champion: “He’s a sporting hero, he’s an inspiration to people all over the country.

“This is a shocking reminder of the horrors people face when they are trafficked. And we must continue to crack down on these criminals who take advantage of vulnerable people.”

Asked whether the home ministry would take any action against Farah, he said: “Absolutely not.

“I think the Home Office has made it very clear that no action will be taken against Sir Mo and that is in line with the guidance.”

Asked in an interview by the BBC how he felt about the government’s response, Farah said: “I feel relieved.”

“This is my country, if it wasn’t for Alan (Watkinson) and the people who supported me throughout my childhood, I might not even have had the courage to do it.

“There are a lot of people who have been very supportive, especially my wife, throughout my career and given me the strength to come and talk about it and tell me it’s okay.”

It comes after the Metropolitan Police said it was “assessing” Farah’s claims that he was sold to the UK as a child and forced to work as a domestic servant.

The Met Police said in a statement: “We are aware of reports in the media regarding Sir Mo Farr.

“At the moment, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not received any reports.

“Specialists are currently evaluating the available information.”

Farah has been hailed by politicians as a “true inspiration” and a “great Briton” after he revealed he was taken to the UK as a child.

The Tory leadership is hopeful Nadhim Zahavi praised Farah as a “truly inspirational” role model after the revelations and reflected on his own experience of “escaping” Iraq as a child. Similarly, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted his support for the Olympian.

“All that Sir Mo has been through shows that he is not only one of our greatest Olympians but a truly great Briton,” he said.

After the shock announcement, Farah said he was “very proud” of the documentary, which allowed him to “reach out and learn more” about his past and his trip to Britain.

The Real Mo Farah airs at 6am on BBC iPlayer and 9pm on BBC One on July 13.