While Ashley Cain may have an ultra tough exterior, the tattooed TV hunk is soft and bubbly when he sits down for an exclusive chat with OK!. A doting dad to sons Aliyas, one, and four-month-old Atlas, Ashley visibly lights up as we chat fatherhood, while talking candidly about how he navigates parenting toddlers while grieving his daughter Azaylia, who tragically passed away in 2021 following a brave battle with leukaemia. Her memory, however, is very much kept alive through her younger brothers, Ashley, 34, tells us, “It’s important for them to know who their big sister is because she forged the man that’s raising them in this world.” The 34-year-old reality star, who split from Azaylia’s mum, Safiyaa Vorajee in March 2022, a year after their daughter’s death, has also been remembering his little one by taking on a series of gruelling charity challenges over the last few years, including an Ultraman feat which saw him running, cycling, and kayaking the length of the UK, three times over. And now, the former footballer is heading to some of the world’s most dangerous places for new BBC documentary; Ashley Cain: Into The Danger Zone. Here, Ashley tells us all about the scary-sounding TV venture, life as a busy dad and taking a step back from fundraising challenges…
Ashley hangs out with hardened criminals in his new BBC Three show
(Image: BBC/True North)
Hi Ashley. How are you enjoying life as a dad of two boys? Oh, it’s great. It’s strange because they’re so close in age, so I’m seeing Aliyas coming out of phases that Atlas is just coming into. At the moment, Aliyas seems so much older but they’re going to grow up together and have a really incredible bond and brotherhood. It’s amazing that they’re going to be by each other’s side. They talk about parenting being hard but it can’t get much harder than what I went through with my daughter, so every time I look at my boys now, I just think I’m blessed that they’re happy, healthy and they’re here. Everything else is easy. It is different than it was with Azaylia though, because, regardless of her having cancer, she was my little princess. So, whatever she wanted she got! But Atlas and Aliyas are little boys so, we play a bit rougher and there’s slightly more tough love there. Do you talk to them about Azaylia? Yes, we visit her garden [Ashley and his ex Safiyya created a memorial garden for Azaylia, next to her grave] often, and I’m really looking forward to the weather getting better so we can visit it more. It’s crucially important for them to know who their big sister is because she forged the man that is raising them in this world. I always feel close to her. I feel the closest connection to her when i’m in pain and doing the crazy challenges I do. So, I don’t run away from pain or fear anymore, because I’m running alongside her in my toughest times.
The former footballer says he feels close to his late daughter during the ‘toughest times’
Speaking of challenges, you’re taking a break from doing any at the moment, why is that? For the last 3.5 years, people don’t see how hard I worked. Last year, i was training from five to seven hours a day for seven hours a week, as well as working, travelling and having my newborn son. It’s a lot. I wanted to do another challenge this year but my coach said it would be 25 to 30 hours a week training and it’s not physically possible with my documentary series, other projects and my two beautiful little boys. I’m trying to focus on my children and that part of my legacy. While I’m still focused on building a legacy for my daughter in heaven, I need to as well build one for my sons here on earth. I miss them when I’m away and my safe space is my family; I love my home and my family, I love spending every second of time I get free with them. But I won’t be taking too long off, because it breaks my heart and makes me feel guilty. There’s not a lot, or anything, you can do when you lose a child, but raising money and doing challenges is something I can do for Azaylia, so I won’t ever stop. Would you like to have more children in the future? Yeah, I think so. I’ve got a big family; I’ve got two older brothers, two younger sisters and loads of cousins, so when we all get together it’s magical. I’ve always wanted a big family because you’ve got a big team, a big network and a lot of people to love and support you. My dad always says he’s blessed because he’s got 5 kids and he’s always got people to do things with, it’s a beautiful thing and I’d like that too. So, yeah, 100% I do.
The reality star has two boys but would love more kids
(Image: Instagram/mrashleycain)
Tell us about your new BBC Three documentary, Into The Danger Zone… We went to some of the most dangerous places in the world and met some of the most dangerous people for this show. And, even though I don’t support criminality, it was crucially important for me to go to these areas and step into the minds, environments, and struggles of young men around the world and understand the hardship they face. I grew up suffering from racism and not fitting in, so I wanted to go to these places with an open mind and just really try to understand what life is like for them. I want to truly understand the world I’m raising my sons in and be compassionate. I don’t think they expected to see a mixed-race guy with tattoos who was gonna come and approach them with genuine love, genuine energy, and without fear, and allow them to speak. Were there any scary moments during filming? There were so many! There was a shootout in Brazil when we were on patrol, which was incredibly scary because, one minute everything was fine and we were laughing then the next minute you heard bullets and ‘bang, bang’. When it gets like that, you’ve got no plan, you just get behind the wall and hope the bullets don’t come to you. But there were a lot of epic moments too. I went hunting with the Zulu people in South Africa, which was amazing. I knew we weren’t going to be able to get an interview watching them from the hillside so I chose to just run along with them, i thrive off of getting out of my comfort zone and doing things like that. There was a lot of moments that you felt like you were in real danger, but those moments ended up being some of the best moments of the series – you actually got to see and feel what these guys’ life is like every single day. Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone airs on BBC Three on Tuesday 1st April at 9pm
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