Ashley Cain has described his pain at losing his daughter Azaylia as his “superpower” when it comes to facing the tough fundraising challenges he participates in.
Ashley’s daughter Azaylia tragically died at eight months old on April 24, 2021, following her fight with acute myeloid leukaemia.
The 31-year-old spoke about how he deals with the painful loss of his daughter as he appeared on Good Morning Britain.
Ashley revealed that he feels most connected to his daughter in his tough moments of grief and uses her death as encouragement for him in taking on his extremely gruelling fundraising challenges.
The Ex on the Beach star shared that he gets his strength from the love he feels for Azaylia in these challenges, which he has thrown himself in since her passing.
Ashley said: “I feel pain every day, I cry every day, I grieve every day but, when I’m crying, they are the most beautiful moments in my life because that is the only time I feel love in this world.
“I run head on into my problems, I use pain as power.
“When I do these challenges, I do them on really tough, difficult occasions like Azaylia’s anniversary, like her birthday, because when I’m hurting, that is the time I connect best with my daughter and the time I can push myself to higher and higher levels, and my daughter is my superpower.
“I refuse to let my daughter’s presence on this Earth and her passing be in vain, because she was absolutely incredible, and she showed me the meaning of strength and courage.”
Ashley poignantly added: “I believe my daughter is watching down on me. I believe she’s got the best view of her daddy and now is my chance to take her around the world, with nothing but daddy power and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Though Ashley is no longer with Azaylia’s mother Safiyya Vorajee, 34, he said on GMB they will stay “forever connected” as they continue looking after their daughter’s legacy.
Ashley also revealed the touching reason he keeps his signature beard, as he said: “When we were in the hospital, we couldn’t go out so I couldn’t get a hair cut. I ended up growing this beard.
“As my daughter got older, she began to grab hold of it, she used to hold it and rub her feet through it.
“Because I haven’t got her here with me any more, I wanted to keep my beard ’cos she used to touch these very hairs on my face and I don’t trim it, I don’t shape it, I leave it.”
