Strong: Life, loss and eternal love for my daughter

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After she died Ashley turned to alcohol to numb the pain, until: “One morning I woke up ashamed of the man that I was. He read his daughter's eulogy at her funeral. “It was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do,” he says, voice faltering with emotion. “I thought, how can I write the words to describe how incredible Azaylia was, how impactful she was to my life, and the man I want to be because of Azaylia?” A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will be donated to The Azaylia Foundation, the charity that Ashley and his ex-partner Saafiya set up to raise money to fight childhood cancer, in memory of their daughter, Azaylia Diamond Cain Cain has made it his calling to be truthful. He also hopes that through his work with the foundation and his fundraising challenges, he's continuing his daughter's legacy by helping other children fight cancer. Not only was fatherhood the missing piece that made me feel complete, but that little girl allowed me to be the person I wanted to be.”

But fitness has always played a large part in his life, having previously been a footballer. He made his professional debut for Coventry City FC in April 2009 and played for the likes of Tamworth, Oxford and Luton. But the book is really a tribute to Azaylia Diamond Cain, who despite her illness displayed huge courage, a fighting spirit and a wonderful smile until the end. She inspired her parents to continue her legacy, setting up The Azaylia Foundation to raise money to fight childhood cancer. The tearful parents of Azaylia Cain have shared the heartbreaking final moments with their baby girl as they launched a charity in her name. I'm also able to hopefully inspire people who are going through their own mental health issues – grief, loss, trauma, depression – realise that no matter what you're going through, there is strength at the other side of your struggle.” READ MORE: Christine Lampard tells Ashley Cain 'You are warriors' as The Azaylia Foundation is launchedHe’s still friendly with Safiyya – they split a year after Azaylia’s death. “Saf gave me the greatest gift I’ve ever had. We’ve built a bond that is unbreakable because of what we’ve been through together. Ashley Cain and Safiyya Vorajee spoke during an emotional interview to help launch The Azaylia Foundation. The charity the couple say has given them a purpose since they lost their little girl to acute myeloid leukaemia.

We tried everything to save her life,” says Ashley, tearfully. “There wasn’t an option that we didn’t explore. When she was going through It is one of a number of gruelling cycling challenges he plans to undertake, including the Three Peaks, cycling between each of the three mountains, as well as bike ride from his home in Nuneaton to Paris as well as across part of India too. It’s clear he is hugely driven and wears his heart on his sleeve. And he wants to encourage men in particular to be open with their feelings: “I get thousands of messages a day from people who are suicidal, going through something, stressed, depressed, anxious. The reason I keep being vocal is to help others. The circle of grief never gets smaller, I just grow stronger around it.” So we want to actively, every single month, give a set amount to help them reach their goal, so that families can feel supported. Two years on, the grief of losing his ‘little lion' daughter, who was given chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant before succumbing to the disease, has not dimmed.

Her parents were told that she would need stem cell treatment. With the help of the Anthony Nolan charity, the couple appealed for a donor for their little girl. Despite still coming to terms with their unimaginable grief her parents set up a charity Azaylia Foundation as a legacy to her. Azaylia taught him to be the man he wanted to be, he says, but he can't see himself having another child.

A tearful Safiyya said: "The morning we woke up, it was a really difficult morning, because I woke up with a feeling, I don't know, they say it is a mother's instinct, but I thought 'today was the last day'. Ashley has now made it his mission to keep her legacy alive and has built up a huge following doing so. A lot of people in this world are struggling with mental health – they have low confidence, low self-esteem. I believe it's because a lot of people are not truthful and transparent with themselves and people around them.” Her funeral saw hundreds of people line the streets of their hometown, shouting 'lets go champ' and holding lion and orange balloons - all synonymous with the little girl. Today, to coincide with the first day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Ashley will embark on the first of a series of fundraisers for the charity.Ashley's psychological and emotional resilience is unparalleled, truly in the 0.1 percent', Ant Middleton The eight month-old sadly lost her inspirational battle at the family home in Nuneaton on April 24 this year.