SOCCER STAR’S SECRET HELL We didn’t let on that mum had died so we didn’t have to go into care England player orphaned at 13

AS a Premier League footballer, Moses Odubajo’s life is full of the trappings of success.

But a family tragedy meant he had to overcome harrowing hardship to get where he is – so the 23-year-old takes none of it for granted.

He lost mum Esther to malaria when he was just 13, leaving him and 15-yearold brother Tom to fend for themselves in an inner city London council flat.

Because she died in Uganda, they fell under the radar of social services and, determined not to be separated, survived on less than £400 a month.

They often had to choose between heating and food, and lived on tins of sardines, corned beef and sweetcorn – often scrounging £2 school lunches or eating at friends’ homes.

Hull City player Moses said: “They were tough times but we never felt sorry for ourselves, that’s not the way mum raised us. She just got on with life, so we did too. Mum brought us up to be independent and there was no way we wanted to be separated in children’s or foster homes. We wanted to stay together so we managed to hide what was going on from everyone, including teachers.”

Former nurse Esther ran a sexual health advice centre for youngsters in Peckham and in 2005 got the chance to help people in Ghana.hana. Having grown up in Nigeria,eria, where a quarter of the world’srld’s malaria cases are recorded, d, she mistakenly thought she wass immune and did not get vaccinated. nated. When Esther returnedd t wo months later she had ad the first symptoms. She flew to Uganda for treatment ment in September 2006 6 but died within days, att 45.

Moses was on trialal with Millwall whenn his stepdad broke e the news. He said:d: “In my 13- year- old world, it never occurredccurred something would happen to mum. It seemed so surreal. Nobody had mentio mentioneded malaria. I remember thinking shee must have been very poorly wh whenn she took to her room, away from us boys, as she always wanted to be around us.” Esther’s body was flown back to their flat in Downham,Down South East London. After theth funeral, MosesM said his grievinggr stepdad movedm out, stayingin a few nights a weekwe at first and thenth visiting once a aw week to drop off theth Fa m i l y AllowanceA of £ £2 20. He paid rent,ren council tax and electric but the boys had to cover food and gas. Brot Brother Idris, who was 19 and h had left home, helped out but took Esther’s death so h hard he turned to crime and got two years for robbery. And, deep in shock, Moses qu quit football. He said: “I lost interest in everythin everything.” It was Tom’s talent that keptkep them afloat as he e earned £ 300 a mo month at Barnet