In a candid and emotional interview, Everton footballer Dele Alli revealed that he was sexually abused at the age of six by his mother’s friend.

“There were a few incidents that can give you a brief understanding,” he said interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap. “At six, I was molested by my mum’s friend who was at the house a lot. My mum was an alcoholic. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline. Then I was sent back. Seven, I started smoking. Eight I started dealing drugs, selling drugs. An older person told me they wouldn’t stop a kid so I’d ride around with my football and then underneath I’d have the drugs.”

The 27-year-old said that he spent six weeks in rehab in the US this summer because of an addiction to sleeping tablets. He attributed his recent struggles to the traumatic experiences he faced as a kid.

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“Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate. At 12, I was adopted. And from then, I was adopted by an amazing family, I couldn’t have asked for better people to do what they’ve done for me…If God created people, it was them. They are amazing and have helped me a lot,” he said.

Who is Denise Alli?

Dele Alli’s mother is Denise Alli who is a homemaker. Dele moved to Bigeria with his father when he was nine years old.

He spent two years there at an International School before returning to Milton Keynes where he started living with her mother. His mother’s maiden name is Denise Finch. Not much else is known about her.

She is no longer married to Dele’s father, Kehinde, who is a Nigerian businessman. They met at a nightclub while Kehinde was a student at De Montford University. They reportedly had a whirlwind romance and got married before Dele was born.

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Soon they started having issues in their relationship. After three years of marriage, the couple separated. Kehinde is presently married to someone else.

After around three years of marital issues, Dele’s parents separated, with Kehinde now married to someone else. Dele was the best man in 2006 at his father’s wedding to his second wife Lola Read.