Ashley Cain has opened up about the “turbulent” time he experienced following the birth of his son.
The former footballer announced he had welcomed a son yesterday, three years after his daughter’s tragic death.
The 33-year-old shared the name of his son- Aliyas Diamond Cain, which bears quite a similarity to his late daughter Azaylia’s name.
Taking to his Instagram Stories on last night, Ashley thanked fans for supporting him and sending him kind messages.
He wrote: “A heartfelt thank you to you all for the love, support and kind messages I’ve received over the last few days. It has been a turbulent time as you can imagine.”
“But one that has been worth all of the sticks, the stones and the storms that have come with it. I am a proud and loving father to both of my children and nothing will ever change that.”
“So all that matters to me now is honouring my daughter in heaven and nurturing my son on earth. No matter what, MY KIDS COME FIRST. It’s that simple.”
The footballer announced the birth on Instagram and wrote: ” Aliyas Diamond Cain – 16.01.24, 4:32am, 9lbs 3oz. 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.”
“Welcome to the world my son. May your body be strong, your mind be wise, your heart be loving and your spirit be pure and truly powerful. 🩵”
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Ashley received a lot of backlash on Instagram under his birth announcement as a result of the name and decided to comment back to explain the thought process behind it.
The father wrote: “What the letter ‘A’ holds is a family tradition, being the first letter of my father’s and all of my uncles first names. The name ‘Diamond’ is from my grandma and their mother,”
“It’s our family name along with Cain, it’s out Vincentian roots, all the way from our small island and from our great people.”
Horrified fans commented on the post to let him know their thoughts on the name: “Sorry but calling your son an extremely similar name and using the middle name of your daughter is a huge huge kick in the teeth too poor Saffiya. Very low move.”
Ashley and his ex-girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee tragically lost their daughter Azaylia when she was just eight months old in 2021 after she was diagnosed with a rare cancer.
The couple parted ways shortly after the death of their daughter and announced their split on Instagram.
