Ashley Cain has confessed he feels “guilty” about having another child following the tragic death of his daughter Azaylia.
The TV personality, 33, is expecting another child, a son, two years after the death of his daughter. He is expecting the child with a woman that he dated earlier in the year and who he has known since the pair were both teenagers.
At just eight weeks old, Azaylia was diagnosed with with acute myeloid leukemia and had tumours on her lungs, stomach and kidneys.
She underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant at Birmingham Children’s Hospital in the first few months of her life.
The little girl, who Cain shared with ex partner Safiyya Vorajee, 36, tragically lost her battle with the illness at eight months old. Cain and Vorajee split a year after their daughter’s death but continue to work on their charity, The Azaylia Foundation, together.
Speaking about becoming a father again, Cain said on Good Morning Britain: “It was different because I felt slightly guilty, I felt slightly hurt for Azaylia and I didn't really expect this to be the case.
“But very quickly, like I do, I took the responsibility of being a father. I realise that every child is a blessing and I got myself in the right mind frame and had a long time to think about it.
'I felt slightly guilty, I felt slightly hurt for Azaylia'
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) December 4, 2023
Ashley Cain has revealed he is set to become a father for the second time - two years after the death of his baby girl Azaylia.@MrAshleyCain pic.twitter.com/kldRlgA6FE
“[I'm going to] be the best person I can possibly be for my son that's coming into this world and that's what I intend to do.”
Host Ed Balls asked former footballer Cain whether he felt “conflicted with loss and opportunity”.
Cain replied: “100 per cent.
“I think I was meant to be a daddy. I love children, I love my family’s children and it’s hard every time to see them because I always think that’s what Azaylia should be doing now... I think that’ll be the case with my son.”
Since the passing of Azaylia, Cain – who appeared on Ex On The Beach – has dedicated his life to the memory of his daughter, taking part in extreme challenges to help fundraise for charity in her honour.
Cain has recently signed up to complete the Yukon 1000 – said to be the world’s toughest survival race. Participants battle it out to survive in the wilderness while paddling 1000 miles from Canada to the Arctic Circle.
