Ashley Cain and Safiyya Vorajees split explained after tragic loss of daughter Azaylia

Ashley Cain is set to become a father for the second time, two years after tragically losing his daughter Azaylia to cancer.

The former footballer, 33, broke down in tears as he shared the news with The Sun on Sunday and recalled visiting his daughter’s grave to tell her the news that she was going to be a big sister. He told The Sun: "I am really, really excited and happy and I can't wait to see what this next part brings."

Ashley confirmed he is not in a relationship with the mother of his second child but is planning on being a hands-on father. He will welcome his second child, a son in January 2024.

The news comes two years after Ashley and his ex Safiyya Vorajee tragically lost their eight month old daughter Azaylia following a battle with leukaemia in April 2021. The grieving parents have fought tirelessly to help other families and children fighting cancer with The Azaylia Foundation, which captures Azaylia's spirit with the "little lion" logo.

Ashley was in a relationship with dental nurse Safiyya from 2017 until 2022. The pair announced their split in March 2022, at the time the TV star it "was an incredibly tough decision".

Taking to Instagram to share news of their split, Ashley wrote: "After a devastating and heartbreaking year, Safiyya and I decided to separate a few months ago. This was an incredibly though decision which we needed to keep to ourselves for some time to give us the opportunity to figure out our own journey privately.

"The past few months have demonstrated that we remain the closest of friends, spending time together everyday, and that we will love, care and support each other forever."

He added: "We are bonded by our powerful journey together, by the eternal love we have for our daughter, and our passionate commitment to her foundation," followed by an orange heart emoji.

Safiyya also spoke out about her split from Ashley and previously told The Mirror: "Nothing could be as bad as losing our daughter was, so although we are no longer a couple, we will always have an unbreakable bond.

"We have a passion and a purpose with the foundation to continue keeping our word and do our daughter proud.

"Ashley’s strength throughout this year has been phenomenal. I took a back seat for a long time, becoming such an introvert. I found it difficult to talk about my feelings, it came out jumbled. But Ashley was very good at speaking."

Safiyya also explained that she had known Ashley "for years" before they became a couple in 2017 and were from "the same place". Adding that they had been together for a "couple of years" before discussing having a baby – "he told me very early on – which made me love him even more", she shared.

The former footballer said it was "painful" for his ex to hear about his new baby news following their daughter's tragic death. Opening up about this, he said: "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".

He continued: "I know Safiyya will always support me and I will always be there to support Safiyya. It wasn’t an easy conversation or filled with smiles but it was a conversation that had a lot of truth and respect."

Source: Read Full Article