21 December 2023 , 14:58
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Ashley Cain has hit back at trolls who have attacked him following the news he's expecting a baby with a friend.
The former footballer tragically lost his daughter Azaylia when she was just eight months old, after she was diagnosed with leukaemia at just eight weeks. She devastatingly passed away in 2021, with mum and dad Ex On The Beach star Ashley and author Safiyya breaking up a year later.
After admitting he had a "painful" conversation with his ex to tell her his baby news, Safiyya since came out to say Ashley, 33, had asked to have another baby with her.
Baby Azaylia was diagnosed with leukaemia aged just eight weeks (Ashley Cain/Instagram)
Ashley and Safiyya called it a day weeks before the first anniversary of Azaylia's deathBut after receiving online abuse from trolls, the Real Full Monty star said: "Just because I don't speak, doesn't mean I can't speak, just means I choose not to. Protection of the things and people I love that are in, have been or will be in my life will always come above and beyond anything else. No matter how many stones get thrown, or how hard they hurt, I will always stand on that."
He posted the comment on his Instagram Story, resharing a comment a fan had made to defend him. The fan's eomtional message read: "All these judgemental, horrible, got nothing better to do except put down a grieving father because he has moved on need to get a frigging life.. just because you don't see him crying or being sad does not mean he is okay.
Ashley Cain says Azaylia 'saved his life' and gave him a chance of redemption
"He has lost a child too... the comments on his post are disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourself for judging a man that takes all his strength just to be alive. Take it from another grieving parent."
Ashley and 36-year-old Safiyya ended their relationship weeks before the first anniversary of little Azaylia's death. The pair remained friends, and founded The Azaylia Foundation to support other families who have children diagnosed with cancer. He revealed earlier this month that he's having a baby with a woman who he is not in a relationship with, saying they've been friends since they were 18.
He revealed the news, saying he had a "painful" conversation with his ex to tell her what was happening.
He told The Sun: “It was painful for Safiyya but it was also painful for me as well to talk to her. We haven’t been together for a while now and it is inevitable that at some stage people are going to move on with their lives - that doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends and have an amazing relationship. I know Safiyya will always support me and I will always be there to support Safiyya."
Ashley Cain's ex Safiyya Vorajee breaks down as she addresses her former partner's baby newsBut since he made the news public, Safiyya has said Ashley told her he didn't want to have a child with anyone else, before asking her if they could have another baby. She told how she waited for him to ask for them to rekindle their relationship, which she claims he ended "abruptly" after a drink. But it never happened, and 'out of the blue' he told he was having a baby.
She told The Sun : "I don’t know why he would ask to have another baby with me knowing he’s sleeping with someone else. When he asked me, it was the moment I’d been waiting for. I sighed with relief that we could reunite and have a family again. It was at Azaylia’s garden, in front of our daughter, such a precious, safe space for us."