Search icon

Celebrity

02nd Sep 2021

Ashley Cain says Azaylia’s early cancer symptoms were almost missed

Laura Cunningham

The couple want to raise awareness of the symptoms, so other parents can spot the signs.

Ashley Cain appeared on ITV’s Lorraine this week for an emotional interview about his late baby daughter, Azaylia.

The former Ex-on-the-Beach star and his partner Safiyya Vorajee spoke tearfully about the legacy their eight-month-old left behind, after she sadly died in April from an aggressive form of leukemia.

The proud parents told presenter Christine Lampard about the foundation they’ve launched in Azaylia’s name, adding that they want to raise awareness of the symptoms surrounding the illness, so other parents can spot the signs of the condition early.

Speaking about Azaylia’s diagnosis, the pair explained that as new parents, they thought nothing was out of the ordinary when the early signs were showing.

Safiyya detailed the early symptoms as her “stomach getting hard, brushing, diarrhoea”.

Ashley added: “There was nothing at that point to highlight the severity of what it actually was.”

The public helped the pair raise funds for Azaylia’s planned treatment in Singapore, but sadly it was too late and her condition had advanced too much for her to travel. The money, however, won’t go to waste as the couple plan to “bring some beautiful and magical moments to children who are in such dark places”, via their new foundation.

Safiyya said: “We were in the darkest place, but we brought the most light and they gave us comfort, and that’s what I would like to be able to do with Azaylia’s foundation going forward.”

Blood cancer charity, The Anthony Nolan Trust also saw tens of thousands of people sign up to be stem cell donors after Ashley appealed to his followers on social media.

Quite the legacy indeed.