UK reality star Ashley Cain has endured the heart-shattering level of emotional devastation that all parents dread after he was forced to bury his child last year.
The former Ex On The Beach contestant and his now ex-girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee were over the moon when they welcomed their baby girl, named Azaylia, in August 2020.
But their lives were turned completely upside-down after the their child was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer at just eight weeks old, with tumours having grown on her lungs, stomach and kidneys.
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Despite several rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, Azaylia passed away eight months later.
And in a brand new television interview, Ashley, 33, has opened up about the utter devastation that his daughter's death caused him and Safiyya, revealing he even counted her final breaths and she was passing away.
Speaking on ITV's emotional reality show The Real Full Monty Christmas Special - which sees a line-up of celebrities strip down in front of a live audience in order to raise money for cancer - Ashley had tears in his eyes as he spoke about his little girl.
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"One morning, me and Safiyya just had a sense that it would be that morning," he admitted. "We wrapped our arms around Azaylia, and we counted her last breaths."
The TV star - who has since embarked on a number of charity missions in Azaylia's name - went on to confess that he still had 'demons' about her premature passing.
"I just thought for once in my life because of her, I want to be the best person I can be," he said. "I want to achieve some amazing things cause I want her to know that it was because of her."
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And viewers of the show were quick to express their sorrow on X (formerly known as Twitter) over Ashley's loss.
"Watching #therealfullmonty on #itv Ashley Cain always has me crying when it comes to his baby girl," one fan tweeted.
Another added: "All these stories are so heartbreaking, they’re all truly so strong and inspirational!"
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Ashley announced last week that he is set to become a father for the second time, and will be welcoming a little boy next year.
He told The Sun at the time that the first thing he did when he found out was to visit Azaylia’s grave to tell her the happy news.
"I believe that was a huge part that has allowed me to feel positive about it," he explained. "I feel like she was the main person that I needed to speak to and to get this thing off my chest.
"After going to her resting place and speaking to her about it, I just had a feeling in my heart and in my soul that she was happy for me."
Topics: Ashley Cain, Parenting, ITV, Celebrity, TV And Film
Rhianna Benson