It may seem hard to believe, but the foxy lady you see above is actually at the center of a big-time fashion-meets-immigration scandal!
Indeed, 32 year-old Fatou Cham — a literal hot-mama of three — was recently chosen as “the new face of Tesco”, one of Britain’s largest mass-retail chains.
Cham — who works check-out — triumphed over hundreds of other Tesco employees to win an in-house competition to model the brand’s fall fashion line.
Trouble is, Cham — one of six Tesco beauties to appear in the new campaign – is an illegal immigrant!
Originally from the Gambia, she came to the UK in 1998 to study banking, economics and finance.
By 2002, she’d been joined in London by her mother and oldest child — and has since had two additional kids while living in Britain.
But Cham’s original student visa expired in 2001 — and lacking the proper paper-work to extend it formally, she’s been living in London illegally ever since.
Despite her new-found modeling career — and appearances in numerous British fashion/lifestyle weeklies — following a DL tip off, UK immigration coppers raided Cham’s home a few days back, questioned her thoroughly and dragged her down to the menacing-sounding Borders Agency offices.
Fatou, who is now single, has been dropped from the Tesco campaign and now faces likely deportation. She’s now appealing the charges and possible boot back to Gambia — while Tesco is claiming fashion ignorance.
In the Netherlands some people (like myself) do not refer to poeple as ‘illegal immigrants’. We believe no human being is ‘illegal’. Rather, we use the term ‘undocumented person’. A tip for Transracial?
She is gorgeous!
I would like to be in touch with Mrs Fatou’s attorney or Lawyer. I am at their disposal to support the lawsuit to let her and children stay. My email address can be given to her or her lawfirm.
My girlfriend suffered the same kind of discrimination, maybe worst, in France ad with help of good lawyer we won. Please try to forward this message to Mrs Fatou or her lawyer. Thanks
Mario Liquori-Monaco MC
By Milan from http://www.lollipopular.blogspot.com : This is sad, ridiculous and intolerant, at least she has got a reason to stay in the UK- because of her kids to provide them with such a great opportunity and life, which is rare in Africa and surely Fatou Cham is not a bad person she is doing her work properly trying her best; such person is needed in this country and has the right to stay in this land. I wouldn’t call this freedom- everyone has the right to try their best.
I would call this rascism, jealousy because this pretty mum is trying to fulfil her and her kids dreams, (Britain is a nationalist country) I definitely dislike the immigration officers.
What do You think?