Entertainment
Ashley Cain joins Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins to ‘combat trauma’ of daughter Azaylia’s death-Robert Oliver-Entertainment – Metro
The series begins in September.
Ashley will be putting on bigger boots than that when it comes to the new Channel 4 series (Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire)
Former footballer Ashley Cain says he has joined the line-up for the 2022 edition of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in an attempt to overcome the grief stemming from the death of his eight-month-old daughter Azaylia.
The former Ex On The Beach star shared the tot with ex-girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee but they suffered the most devastating loss when Azaylia died in April 2021 following a battle with a rare form of leukaemia.
As part of his recovery, Cain, 31, has agreed to take part in the latest series of Celebrity SAS – the first ever edition of the show, which sees celebrities compete in physically gruelling tasks, was won by retired footballer Wayne Bridge.
In a statement released after joining the Channel 4 show, Cain said: ‘Losing my daughter was the most difficult experience of my life. I think to combat trauma you need to step outside your comfort zone and see who you really are.’
He continued by saying that he couldn’t say no when he was asked to join: ‘There’s no better way to do that than on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, so when the opportunity came, I took it with both hands.’
The 14 celebs taking part in Who Dares Wins (Picture: Pete Dadds/Channel 4/PA)
Cain and ex-partner Vorajee announced earlier this year that they had split just before the first anniversary of their daughter’s death, stating: ‘After a devastating and heart-breaking year, [we] decided to separate.’
The statement continued: ‘This was an incredibly tough decision which we needed to keep to ourselves for some time to give us the opportunity to figure out our own journey privately.’
Ashley Cain keeping fit while running for his daughter Azaylia’s foundation (Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire)
Safiyya, Azaylia, and Ashley (Picture: @mrashleycain/Instagram)
The former couple shared how they marked their late daughter’s second birthday at her gravesite, decorating her grave. They left soft toys at the site, as well as forming flowers in the shape of a giant number ‘2’.
The line-up for the new series, which starts in September, also contains soap actress Maisie Smith and Love Island winner Amber Gill, as well as Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones and boxer Shannon Courtenay.
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As a professional footballer, Cain made 10 appearances for Coventry City between 2008 and 2010. He then transferred to Mansfield, where he played 20 games of the 2010-11 season, scoring one goal.
A ruptured Achilles brought his career to a premature end, and Cain was forced to retire in 2014 after making 28 appearances for non-league side Coventry Sphinx, who play at the 9th level of the English football pyramid.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins will air on All 4 and Channel 4.
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