Warning: This article contains discussion of baby loss which some readers may find distressing.
Ashley Cain has opened up about his struggle to deal with negativity he received after welcoming his son last month (16 January).
Ashley first became a father to little Azaylia – his daughter from a previous relationship with ex-girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee – back in August 2020.
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However, tragedy struck just eight weeks later when she was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer, later passing away at just eight months old.
The 33-year-old reality TV star shared the news of his son's birth on Instagram and paid tribute to Azaylia by revealing that both siblings will share the same middle name.
Captioning a snap of his newborn son, who he had with an unnamed partner, wrapped up in hospital, he wrote: "Aliyas Diamond Cain - 16.01.24, 4:32am, 9lbs 3oz.
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"I will love you, appreciate you, guide you and protect you with all of my heart, for the rest of my life & you will have the most beautiful guardian angel heaven holds watching over you and protecting you too."
He'd also previously revealed that the news of a new baby 'pained' ex Safiyya and defended himself after people branded his decision to give his son the same middle name as his late daughter 'disrespectful'.
Since then, Ashley has taken to Instagram to share with his two million followers how he deals with all the negative messages.
Responding to a question asking how he 'keeps going', the former footballer responded: "The answer is with great difficulty. If I'm gonna be completely honest, I wake up a lot of time and I don't want to get up.
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"I'll go through a lot of days and think that I can't continue. I feel more often than not that I can't do this anymore that's the honest truth.
"And to be perfectly honest, you know, no amount of hate no amount of negativity that people throw my way will ever compare to what's happened to me."
He continued to say: "Any parent out there will know that your child is the most precious and sacred you will ever see, hold or love in this world and to see them go through such a terrible illness, and to see them lose their life is something that creates that much trauma and that much pain and that was raised, I can't put it into words.
"But I can definitely tell you that something that's difficult to live with on a day to day basis."
Ashley continued to share that the backlash he'd received over his newborn son was a 'very difficult pill to swallow', adding: "Now what I care about in this world, and I'll say it as plain and as clear as this is honouring my daughter's time here is honouring her legacy is honouring the promises that I made to her on her day and is creating a blessing life for my son who is still here.
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"I want to say that what keeps me going is my daughter in the sky. It's my son here on earth, and the promises that I've made to both."
Opening up about his mental health, Ashley said: "The reality of my life is that at a minute is f**king hard.
"I am struggling. I'm sad. I feel depressed, and it's hard to do the things that I need to do every single day. I'm going to be a person that no matter how hard it gets, I'm going to fight through those feelings. I want to fight through those emotions.
"I want to fight through that negativity. Because there's so much good that still needs to be done."
He then offered some advice for viewers: "To anybody that's listening. I want you to know that no matter what you've gone through, no matter what things have happened to you, no matter how hard you feel at this time is you are strong enough.
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"You are brave enough, and you are loved and needed enough to want to fight through to see another day to want to fight for a brighter future."
He captioned the 10-minute long clip: "All the sticks, stones, broken bones and words will never stop me.
"Don't let them ever stop you."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@mrashleycainTopics: Ashley Cain, Parenting, Celebrity, Pregnancy