Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali's daughter RASHEDA managed to keep her famous family connection secret from her husband for over a year.

Rasheda hid her parentage from her then-boyfriend chef BOB WALSH, as she found men acted differently towards her when told of her roots.

She says, "I liked knowing that Bob accepted me for who I and not who my father is. When he found out the truth, he was surprised but, by that point, it didn't change things.

"One time, I punched Bob playfully and he pretended to be hurt and said, 'You hit me like Muhammad Ali, not Rasheda Ali'.

"I thought then that he knew, but he didn't."

24/11/2004 14:13