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Gary Lineker reveals he’s inviting migrant to live at £4m house because his ‘kids are grown up and got plenty of room’
GARY Lineker has revealed he will house a refugee in a few weeks as his kids are grown up and he has plenty of room.
The Match of the Day host, 59, said to be worth over £30million, is giving up one of the five bedrooms at his £4m Surrey mansion.
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Last month Lineker was challenged by a Tory MP to offer his townhouse to refugees after accusing him of "virtue signalling" over the migrant crisis.
The ex-England striker told the : "My kids are all grown up so I’ve got plenty of room so if I can help on a temporary basis then I’m more than happy to do so. Why not?
"Most of the things we think of as quintessentially British are often brought in from different shores. Even St George is Turkish.
“I just think we owe a lot to refugees and most people are descended from refugees at some point.
“They have given so much to this country and still continue to do so in terms of the jobs they do which we have witnessed during the pandemic in the NHS, carers and key workers.”
The former Spurs and Barcelona striker, who has four sons in their 20s, was interviewed by a charity who came to visit his home during the application process.
Refugees at Home has helped find temporary accommodation for more than 2,250 vulnerable people.
It comes after a record 409 migrants crossed the Channel yesterday.
Lineker, who earned 80 caps for England during a glittering career, admits he has no idea who will be staying with him and what country they are from.
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The BBC host began campaigning for refugees after the death of Alan Kurdi - a Syrian child who drowned near Greece in 2015.
And news of a Sudanese man dying while attempting to cross the Channel, prompted Lineker to take action.
He said: "It was seeing the images of what was happening when they were going in the boats and landing in Greece, seeing families dying, it just struck me as so intolerably sad.
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“Imagine if it was London that was being bombed and we had to flee somewhere and nobody would accept you and nobody would want us and everyone would hate you.”
The former England striker will also appear in a new film highlighting how fish and chips came from Jews fleeing persecution in Spain and Portugal, as part of an initiative highlighting refugees' contributions.
He will appear alongside comedian Jo Brand and TV actor Yasmin Kadi star in a new film exploring the origins of the popular dish on Friday.
He tweeted: "Providing a new start to those who have fled their homes represents the best of Britain's values. As we know refugees have always helped to keep our communities safe and make our society stronger. They even brought us fish & chips."
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Lineker has praised young footballers such as Marcus Rashford for speaking out about social issues calling their maturity "extraordinary."
The father-of-four is supporting the International Rescue Committee campaign which raises awareness of the migrant crisis.
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