Ashley Cain reveals his grandmother has died and asks her to give his late baby daughter Azaylia 'the biggest kiss and cuddle' in heaven

Ashley Cain has revealed his grandmother has sadly passed away.

The star, who has since apologised for his misogynistic language in old tweets after they recently resurfaced, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the news.

Posting a snap of him holding his grandmother's hand, Ashley penned an emotional post, sharing his gratitude towards her for shaping him into the man he is today.

He wrote: 'Yesterday, we said goodbye to my grandma.

'She wasn’t just my grandma. She was my carer, my protector, my confidant and, in so many ways, my second mum. 

'She helped raise me, shaped me and loved me through every chapter of my life. When I look back now, I realise just how much of the man I’ve become was built on the love she gave me.

'She had the kindest heart I’ve ever known. Everything she did was for somebody else. She carried our family with quiet strength, endless compassion and complete selflessness. She never needed recognition or praise because making the people she loved happy was enough for her.'

He continued: 'I can still picture the countless dinners she’d have waiting for me after school, the afternoons she’d come into the garden to kick a football around with me when no one else would, and even years later, I’d still find myself going to her house after training before taking her to church on a Sunday. 

'Looking back now, I realise those weren’t just routines. They were the moments that became the foundation of my life.

'She made me feel safe. She made me feel loved. She believed in me before the world ever knew my name, and she never stopped believing in me, no matter where life took me.

'The hardest part of losing someone like her is knowing there will never be another. People like my grandma don’t come around twice. They leave fingerprints on your soul that time can never erase.

'If I carry even a fraction of her kindness, her strength, her faith and her ability to love others without condition, then I’ll know she never truly left me.

'Thank you for every sacrifice you made that I was too young to appreciate. Thank you for every meal, every hug, every prayer, every lesson and every act of love that helped shape my life. Thank you for giving me a childhood full of warmth and a lifetime of memories that I will treasure forever.

'You weren’t just an incredible grandmother. You were one of the greatest blessings my life has ever known, and I hope you always knew just how deeply you were loved.'

Ashley signed off the post by asking his grandmother to give his late daughter Azaylia a 'kiss and cuddle'.

He wrote: 'Please give Azaylia the biggest kiss and cuddle, and keep looking after her for me in the heavens above. Rest in eternal paradise, Grandma. Until we meet again.'

The former star first became a father to Azaylia with his ex-partner Safiyya Vorajee, who  from leukaemia in April 2021 at the age of eight months.

It comes after Ashley said he 'cannot change his past' as he released a statement on Monday night after his history of misogynistic tweets and claims of misconduct was revealed. 

The star has come under fire after it emerged that he'd made social media posts calling women 's**gs', 's**ts' and 'psychos', on his X account, which has since been taken down.

The former footballer has since been sacked by the and

And in an Instagram statement, Ashley took accountability for his actions as he said he 'doesn't condone' his past behaviour. 

In a lengthy statement he began: 'To my community, You may have seen a recent article concerning language I used many years ago that I am not proud of. I don't deny it. I don't excuse it. And I certainly don't condone it.

'The truth is that these comments were made over a decade ago by a younger version of myself who still had a lot of growing up to do. I cannot change the past, and truthfully, I have never tried to hide from it.

'I have always believed that accountability matters. We should all take responsibility for our actions, good or bad. 

'But I also believe in growth, in learning from our mistakes, and in proving through our actions that the person we once were does not have to be the person we remain.'

He went on to explain where he was at that time of his life after his football career fell apart and he turned to reality TV.  

He continued: 'At that time in my life, I was a young man who had watched his dream of professional football disappear through injury. I felt lost, frustrated and unsure of where my life was heading.

'Reality television gave me a second chance, but it also put me into a world that I didn't know, one in which I was rewarded for developing a provocative personality. None of that excuses the things I said, but it is part of the truth of where I was and who I was becoming.'

Praising the women in his life, he wrote: 'I was raised by incredible women. My mum, my nan, my auntie, my sister, my family and so many others who loved me, supported me and stood by me throughout my life. They taught me compassion, resilience and respect long before I truly understood the value of those things.

'Looking back now, I can see many moments in my younger years where I lacked maturity, perspective and understanding. Like many young men, I had lessons to learn, and life made sure I learned them.

'The reality is that growth doesn't happen overnight. It happens through experience. Through mistakes. Through hardship. Through being forced to look in the mirror and ask yourself whether you're willing to become better.

'Over the last decade, life has taught me lessons that no amount of fame, success or public opinion ever could. I became a father.'

Ashley's daughter, Azaylia, tragically died at eight months old after battling a rare form of  back in April 2021. 

Azaylia was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and had tumours on her lungs, stomach and kidneys. 

She was given several rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant at Birmingham Children's Hospital, but sadly died on April 24, 2021.

Reflecting on the tragedy, Ashley penned: 'I experienced a love so powerful that it changed every part of me. Then I experienced a pain so devastating that it nearly destroyed me. Losing my daughter changed me forever.

'When you sit beside your child and watch them fight for their life, everything that once seemed important suddenly becomes insignificant. The ego disappears. The image disappears. The noise disappears.

'What remains is perspective. What remains is purpose. What remains is an understanding of what truly matters.'

Since her passing, Ashley has pivoted his career toward extreme ultra-endurance challenges to fundraise for childhood cancer research.

Meanwhile he and Azaylia's mother Safiyya Vorajee pair created the Azaylia Foundation in August 2021. It's dedicated to raising awareness, funding vital research, and providing memorable experiences for children battling cancer. 

He wrote: 'Since then, I have dedicated my life to trying to honour my daughter's legacy and help others wherever I can. To support children and families facing childhood cancer. To raise money that may help save lives. To speak openly about grief, trauma, resilience and mental health.

'Not because I am perfect, but because I know what it feels like to be broken, and I know what it takes to keep moving forward when life gives you every reason not to.'

Revealing he received abuse during the hardest parts of his life, he added: 'There were moments when the weight of everything felt unbearable. But life taught me something through that pain.

'Pain can make you bitter, or it can make you better. I chose better. Not because I am special. Not because I deserve credit. But because I knew that carrying anger, resentment and hatred would only create more