Ashley Cain has said his daughter Azaylia’s funeral was the ‘most devastating day’ and he would ‘do anything’ to bring her back.
The Ex On The Beach star, 30, and his partner Safiyya Vorajee, 35, buried their daughter on Friday after she tragically passed away last month following a battle with leukaemia.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Ashley shared a number of photos from the day as he thanked his friends and family for their ongoing support and said he would do Azaylia ‘proud’.
Tribute: Ashley Cain has said his daughter Azaylia’s funeral was the ‘most devastating day’ and he would ‘do anything’ to bring her back
He wrote: ‘We shared so many tears, sadness and broken hearts on Friday. The day I buried my daughter, something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
‘The weight of it it hasn’t really sank in yet, and I don’t know if it ever will. But I do know that I promised to do her proud, channelling her incredible energy every day for the rest of my life.
‘So, despite Friday being the most devastating day any parent could go through, it was also beautiful. We remembered and reflected on how amazing Azaylia was; the love that she created and the pure, positive energy that she possessed throughout.
‘I would do ANYTHING to bring my little angel back. She meant more to me than life itself and the fact I cannot change what has happened breaks me to pieces.
Heartbreaking: The Ex On The Beach star, 30, and his partner Safiyya Vorajee, 35, buried their daughter on Friday after she tragically passed away last month following a battle with leukaemia
Family: Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Ashley shared a number of photos from the day as he thanked his friends and family for their ongoing support
Moving: Safiyya recently revealed she’s getting a tattoo as a touching tribute to Azaylia
‘It is something I will carry until the day I hold her in again in paradise. But, for now, I feel proud that we could give her the send off she deserved, a tribute to her short but impactful life…
‘A beautiful life full of colour, strength, song and determination to enjoy every moment, even when dealt the toughest of hands.
‘Thank you to everyone… Family, friends and supporters that made this day a special day for Azaylia. Thank you to all those who came to wave her off.
‘And thank you to everyone who continues to support us throughout this journey. You lift our spirits more than you will ever know, thank you.
Emotional: Ashley shared photos of himself and Safiyya on stage making speeches in memory of their daughter
Mourners: The photos featured the funeral procession that saw hundreds of mourners line the streets to pay their respects to Azaylia and her family
Ashley wrote: ‘We shared so many tears, sadness and broken hearts on Friday. The day I buried my daughter, something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy’
He said: ‘The weight of it it hasn’t really sank in yet, and I don’t now if it ever will’
He said: ‘But I do know that I promised to do her proud, channelling her incredible energy every day for the rest of my life’
‘Azaylia, we love you and we miss you so so much baby. MY CHAMPION.’
The photos featured the funeral procession that saw hundreds of mourners line the streets to pay their respects to Azaylia and her family.
Ashley also shared photos of himself and Safiyya on stage making speeches in memory of their daughter along with a snap of them releasing two white doves into the air.
It comes after Safiyya revealed she’s getting a tattoo as a touching tribute to Azaylia.
The clinician took to Instagram on Monday to ask fans for recommendations for an ‘incredible’ artist to create an ‘amazing’ piece in honour of her baby girl.
Ashley wrote: ‘I would do ANYTHING to bring my little angel back. She meant more to me than life itself and the fact I cannot change what has happened breaks me to pieces’
Safiyya described little Azaylia’s funeral as ‘the most difficult day of [her] life’ after his daughter was laid to rest.
Safiyya took to Instagram Stories to reveal she would be getting the tattoo tribute in honour of her daughter.
She wrote: ‘I’m looking for recommendations for an incredible tattooist to do me the most amazing piece in honour of Azaylia.’
Ashley previously revealed that five of his family members had gotten their own tattoo tributes for Azaylia, with each getting the tot’s full name on their wrist.
Sharing the snap to Instagram he wrote: ‘I love you. Azaylia Diamond Cain.’
Emotional: Safiyya took to Instagram on Monday to ask fans for recommendations for an ‘incredible’ artist to create an ‘amazing’ piece in honour of her baby girl
Touching: Ashley previously revealed that five of his family members had gotten their own tattoo tributes for Azaylia, with each getting the tot’s full name on their wrist
Last week Ashley and Safiyya’s daughter was laid to rest, and the pair were seen laying flowers on their daughter’s coffin before he helped to carry the coffin away.
The funeral was held in Azaylia’s hometown of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, where hundreds of well-wishers lined the streets.
The couple had invited people to pay their respects to Azaylia on a pre-arranged route on Friday morning.
Safiyaa also wrote a passionate tribute to her daughter, saying she deserved to have ‘the most beautiful send off we could give her’.
‘Sleep tight princess’: Safiyaa also wrote a passionate tribute to her daughter following her funeral, saying she deserved to have ‘the most beautiful send off we could give her’
She wrote: ‘Azaylia diamond cain. The toughest day of my life, was waking up Friday morning my heart sank it was the day I had to say goodbye to my baby on earth.
‘I was scared & heartbroken to say the least. Azaylia deserved to have the most beautiful send off we could give her, and we did that, we celebrated everything she loved because she is watching us, I wanted to do her proud.
‘I did a speech and spoke about how u made me a women, u inspire me everyday Thank you for teaching me unconditional love and so much more I’m so proud of you Azaylia your mummy’s hero.
‘I was so nervous but I did the whole day in honour of you Azaylia I knew you was watching and I no you was proud.
‘We will be together one day for eternity, sleep tight princess mummy loves you with all my heart.
‘Thank you to Devall’s for doing us proud and taking care of Azaylia from the day she fell asleep, you have really been an incredible family business in helping us organise Azaylia’s day, along with everyone else that made her service beautiful.
‘Thank you to all family and friends for your continued love and support and Thank you for everyone that stood by for Azaylia’s final journey you made it beautiful I appreciated everything you all did. Sweetdreams Azaylia.’
The couple honoured their late daughter Azaylia with an epic Lion King-themed party following her emotional funeral on Friday.
The Ex On The Beach star and clinician gathered their nearest and dearest for the huge get together, in which mourners danced, drank and laughed while surrounded by incredible decor honouring the little girl.
Azaylia’s image was projected around the marquee, which was filled with balloons and laden with Lion King-themed decorations in a nod to the tot’s nickname ‘Lickle Lion.’
A timeline of Azaylia’s six-month leukaemia battle
October 2020: Ashley emotionally revealed his daughter had been diagnosed with a ‘rare and aggressive’ form of leukaemia, which he described as an ‘uphill battle’.
Heartbreaking: Ashley emotionally revealed his daughter had been diagnosed with a ‘rare and aggressive’ form of leukaemia in October
Azaylia was turned away by doctors three times and prescribed laxatives and a nasal spray when her breathing was impeded, shortly before her diagnosis.
By the end of the month, the brave child faced her second surgery and 16th chemotherapy-related treatment in less than two weeks.
November 2020: Azaylia’s hair started to fall out just weeks after she was diagnosed.
Doctors informed Ashley and his family that the tot needed a bone marrow transplant and blood donation.
Due to her Caribbean, Burmese, Indian and English background, the footballer said it was very difficult to find a match for a transplant.
Azaylia was brought home for a few days before her second round of chemotherapy.
December 2020: 80,000 people became stem cell donors 48 hours after Ashley appealed for the public’s help.
So sad: Azaylia’s hair started to fall out just weeks after she was diagnosed in November
January 2021: The TV star confirmed a stem cell donor had been found for his baby daughter Azaylia.
She received her stem cell transplant but her cancer sadly returned following a third round of chemotherapy.
February 2021: Azaylia responded well to her stem cell treatment and doctors were impressed with ‘how strong she was’.
She underwent further surgery to discover whether her leukaemia had gone. Later in the month, doctors revealed her cancer had returned.
March 2021: They were told there were ‘very few options’ to help the baby’s condition before she had another bone marrow test. She relapsed by the end of the month and underwent her fourth round of chemotherapy.
Ashley surpassed his target goal of £1million after he set up a GoFundMe to pay for life-saving treatment for his daughter Azaylia.
Heartbreaking: Healthcare professionals revealed Azaylia only had a few days to live as they discovered tumours all over her body
The former Ex On The Beach star took to social media to ask fans for help in donating, explaining the treatment his daughter needed is available in Singapore.
Ashley described the treatment, CAR-T therapy, as ‘the only option to save Azaylia’s life’ and said he and partner Safiyya may have to fly out in a matter of weeks, adding it will take a minimum of one year.
Celebrities such as former TOWIE star Kate Ferdinand, Love Island’s Molly-Mae Hague and PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani all donated.
Despite efforts from around the world, pharmaceutical companies could not release the life-saving drugs needed to beat his daughter Azaylia’s battle.
April 2020: Healthcare professionals revealed Azaylia only had a few days to live as they discovered tumours in her stomach, her spleen, her liver and her kidneys, in addition to tumours in her brain.
Her parents bathed her in the hospital for a final time before they returned home.
They marked her turning eight months old by having moulds made of her feet, and Azaylia was met with support from the London Underground and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
She received life-prolonging transfusion after her condition caused profuse bleeding and public figures joined the nationwide clap held in her honour.
Azaylia was nominated for a Pride of Britain award and had a plane draw a heart in the sky for her.
The tot was put on oxygen to aid her sleep, and struggled to open her eyes due to swelling.
Scam artists set up fake Facebook pages in her name, with Ashley admitting: ‘We feel really sad it has come to this’.
Azaylia returned to hospital for another platelet transfusion a few days before she died.
The influencer’s ‘fragile’ daughter stopped breathing and suffered seizures before Ashley confirmed her death.
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