Alli has opened up about his challenging early years (Picture: James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)

Everton midfielder Dele Alli has bravely revealed that he was sexually abused by one of his mother’s friends when he was just six years old.

In an emotional interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap YouTube channel, the 27-year-old also revealed that he was selling drugs when he was eight and was hung off a bridge when he was 11.

Alli went on to outline that his difficult childhood played its part in an addiction to sleeping tablets which saw him spend six weeks in rehab in the USA earlier this summer.

So, as the football world shows an outpouring of support for the player, let’s take a look at his biological parents and his adopted parents who have shaped his life in very different ways.
Who are Dele Alli’s parents"

Alli was born in Milton Keynes to English mother Denise and Nigerian father Kehinde.

Dele Alli’s biological mother, Denise (Picture: SWNS.com)

According to The Sun, the couple, who met in a nightclub whilst Kehinde was studying for a Master’s at De Montford University, married shortly before Alli was born.

However, their marriage only lasted three years and they separated when Alli was a young child.

Alli followed his father to Nigeria when he was nine years old but returned from Africa to live with his mother after two years.

In 2016, he elected to change the name on the back of his shirt from Alli to Dele, ex...