Ashley Cain is the former footballer who, at the age of only 32, has gone through more than what most people would in a lifetime after the heartbreaking loss of his baby daughter Azaylia, who died at eight months old from leukaemia.
Ashley is currently starring in Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, the show that pushes celebrities to the limit, both mentally and physically.
Ashley has endured a heartbreaking couple of years, after his daughter, Azaylia Diamond Cain, who he shared with ex-partner Safiyya Vorajee, was born in August 2020, and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia just two months later. She tragically died in April 2021.
She was just eight weeks old when she was first diagnosed with a rare form of the blood cancer and had been receiving care at Birmingham Children Hospital. After multiple rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant, the family were told the devastating news that Azaylia's leukaemia had returned.
Former Ex on the Beach star Ashley and his partner Safiyya's plight with the diagnosis of their daughter attracted the attention of the world when they kept their Instagram followers up to date as they battled in vain to help her attempt to beat the disease.
In a final attempt to save her life, they launched a fundraiser, a month before her death, to pay for specialist treatment in Singapore. Fans and celebrities alike rushed to offer support, and they shattered their target of the £1million needed within hours, with the account ending holding more than £1.6million.
Announcing Azaylia's tragic death on 25 April 2021, just one day after she died, Ashley posted a heartbreaking snap as he held his daughter who was wearing a lion-printed babygrow and a pink hat with pom-poms.
He wrote: “Rest In Paradise Princess. I will always hold you in my heart until I can hold you again in heaven. #AzayliaDiamondCain.”
Safiyya also posted a heartbreaking snap as she cradled her daughter, writing: “You are my Angel my heartbeat my soul, RIP my precious baby, you will always be with me like a handprint on my heart.”
In May, less than a month after Azaylia died, Ashley took to Instagram to share that he was "consumed by pain" in the aftermath of his daughter's death.
He said: “Right now, it’s taking everything I have to begin each new day. The pain of not being about to see my little girl is consuming my whole body.
“So this afternoon, I put on my new running trainers that I bought after Azaylia gained her angel wings. I got them in orange to represent Azaylia and her battle, in the hope they would inspire me to get out and work through the pain."
Several months after the funeral, Ashley and Safiyya set up The Azaylia Foundation with the aim of raising awareness and funds to help families get treatment for childhood cancer.
While anyone can simply go onto the site and donate the amount of their choosing, Ashley has also taken on extreme physical challenges to help raise money. Last year, he cycled over 1,000 miles from Lands End to John O'Groats. This year he's taking on a string of boxing matches while also training for an ultramarathon.
Safiyya and Ashley split earlier this year, months before the first anniversary of their daughter's death.
Shortly after this series of Celeb SAS began, he told OK! about another secret heartache he endured on the show, when he found out that his grandmother had joined "the angels in paradise".
Speaking exclusively to OK! about the moment he found out, which will not be seen on screen, Ashley shared: "On that first episode, I got a phone call from home telling me that I lost my grandma, then we had to go straight to the first challenge.
"She passed away and they didn't air that…" he added.
Putting on a brave face, the star managed to pull himself together and carry on as he said: "I had the option to pull out the first day or continue the show.
"Afterwards, when I got my head around losing my grandma, I said 'No, I'm here. I've got to do it properly. I don't want to cheat. I don't want people to make exceptions for me, because in life you don't get exceptions made for you.
"'No one cares about your excuses. So I'm not going to have any excuses right now, while I'm in here.'"
Ashley previously revealed that he decided to take part in Celebrity SAS to "combat the trauma" of losing his daughter Azaylia, as he said: “Losing my daughter was the most difficult experience of my life.
“I think to combat trauma you need to step outside your comfort zone and see who you really are. There’s no better way to do that than on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, so when the opportunity came, I took it with both hands!”
READ NEXT:
- Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins reveals star studded line up including Love Island winner
- Inside Ashley Cain's celebrations for late daughter Azaylia's 2nd birthday
- Ashley Cain pays emotional tribute to late daughter Azaylia on what would've been 2nd birthday
- ‘Love for Azaylia gives me and Ashley an unbreakable bond – despite our split'
To read the very best of today’s Ok! content from breaking news to Royals and TV – CLICK HERE
Source: Read Full Article
