Former English footballer Ashley Cain has announced the birth of his son, two years after he lost daughter Azaylia Diamond to leukemia.
Cain, 33, shared the happy news on Instagram on Thursday (Friday Australian time) to his more than 1.9 million followers, revealing his name to be Aliyas Diamond Cain.
“I will love you, appreciate you, guide you and protect you with all of my heart, for the rest of my life,” he wrote, before revealing the name is a tribute to Azaylia.
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“Aliyas Diamond Cain – 16.01.24, 4:32am, 9lbs 3oz,” he wrote.
“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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Cain added on his Instagram story that the letter ‘A’ and the name ‘Diamond’ hold strong significance to his family.
“What the letter ‘A’ holds is a family tradition, being the first letter of my father’s and all of my uncle’s first names,” he said.
“The name ‘Diamond’ is from my grandma and their mother. It’s our family name along with Cain, it’s our Vincentian roots, all the way from our small island and from our great people,” he said.
Two months ago, Cain revealed he was expecting his second child.
The former footballer turned reality star, 33, told The Sun on Sunday the happy news came with a lot of emotions and “guilt,” but said he was ready to be the best father he can be to his new tiny tot.
He added that he informed ex-partner and Azaylia’s mother Safiyya Vorajee, 35, about the news he was expecting a baby with a woman he was recently seeing.
“The thought of potentially having another child after losing one was very difficult to understand for me,” Cain explained.
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“When I think about being a daddy again and bringing my son into this world, obviously I do feel guilty because I wish and pray that Azaylia could be here as well.”
He and aesthetic practitioner Vorajee split in 2022, but remain close as they run their foundation together, The Azaylia Foundation, in honour of their late daughter.
He told the publication at the time that his son once born, will have to have a scan to check his heart as a potential heart defect was flagged at the 20-week scan.
“They couldn’t find the connection between one of the valves and the heart so it was another very difficult time for me,” he said.
Azaylia Diamond tragically died at just eight months old in April 2021 after a battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
She also had tumours on her lungs, stomach and kidneys.
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If you or someone you know has suffered a pregnancy loss or stillbirth please contact:
Red Nose Australia rednose.org.au or call 24/7 Support Line on 1300 308 307Bears of Hope bearsofhope.org.auStillbirth Foundation stillbirthfoundation.org.au