Lisa McLoughlin
Ashley Cain has revealed the heartwarming reason why he won't shave his beard following the death of his daughter Azaylia last April. Watch it below:
The 31-year-old's explained that his facial hair reminds him of the little one, who passed away following a battle with acute myeloid leukaemia, and all the times she used to love playing with it.
Appearing on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain, the former Ex On The Beach star shared: "When we were in hospital, I couldn't go out and get a haircut so I ended up growing and developing this beard and as my daughter got older, she began to grab hold of it and she used to hold it and rub her feet through it.
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"Because I don't have her here with me anymore, I wanted to keep my beard because she touched these very hairs on my face.
"I don't trim it, I don't shape it. I leave it because I feel like I'm Samson and my beard is my strength."
Cain also spoke of his unbreakable bond with ex Saffiya Vorajee and shared his hopes for them to carry on Azaylia's legacy with their charity, the Azaylia Cain foundation in which they raise awareness and funds to fight childhood cancer.
He emotionally added: "Me and Saffiya went through a battle of war together and that experience brought us closer and Saffiya gave me the greatest gift any father could have hoped, wished or dreamed for in Azaylia so we're going to be connected for the rest of our lives.
"I'll look after her, she'll look after me and hopefully together we'll look after Azaylia's legacy."
Ashley and Saffiya's eight-month-old daughter Azaylia passed away in April last year, after losing her battle with acute myeloid leukaemia.
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The little one's battle with the rare disease caught the attention of social media and garnered support from many across the globe.
The former couple had hoped to take their daughter to Singapore to undergo lifesaving CAR T-cell therapy for her cancer, even fundraising over £1.5 million to make the trip.
But they were then dealt another devastating blow, and told by the facility that the treatment was no longer an option, because the blood cancer was so rare.
Following her passing, the pair have dedicated their lives to raising awareness and vital funds to fight childhood cancer.
At the beginning of August, Cain completed five marathons in five days and climbed the summit of Mount Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, to mark what would have been Azaylia's second birthday.
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The former reality TV star is next set to embark on a 1700-mile cycle across Europe, starting from London on August 28 and finishing in Rome, Italy on September 17.
For baby loss support contact Tommy's www.tommys.org