Ashley Cain has been forced to defend himself against social media trolls after enjoying a night out following the death of his daughter Azaylia.
The former reality TV star enjoyed a night out with friends, but came under fire after trolls reportedly sent messages criticising the dad for enjoying a night out after a difficult twelve months.
Ashley and partner Saffiya lost baby Azaylia in April last year, when the tiny tot lost her battle with acute myeloid leukaemia. Azaylia's battle with the rare disease caught the attention of social media and garnered support from many across the globe.
Now, the heartbroken father has been forced to address trolling and hateful messages via his Instagram.
Ashley shared pictures with friends, alongside a note explaining they "don't understand the pain I am going through".
In his post, Ashley said: "Maybe I am even borrowing my smile because my eyes tell a different story and I know that soon I will have to trade my happiness back again for the pain that aches my heart.
"Maybe I just wanted to try and enjoy myself for one evening and replace the suicidal thoughts I have everyday since my daughter passed away in my arms with an attempted happy couple of hours.
"Maybe I have more illness in my family that I have chose not to mention because it is too tough to deal with after losing my daughter and my grandma in such quick succession. Maybe all of the above is true, or maybe it’s just parts of it."
The former Ex On The Beach star also described how he hasn't worked for over a year whilst focusing on caring for his sick daughter before focusing his effort into setting up her charity foundation after her death.
The TV star also continued to explain how he has been forced to be strong and be a "pillar of strength" for his loved ones, including Safiyya and even his followers.
He wrote: "But I feel that the stronger I am, the more people judge, the more people attack and the more they try and bring me down.
"You couldn’t believe what trolling, harassment and bribery people try to use against me on a daily basis. What horrendous lengths people go to in regards to personal attacks on my daughter, myself and everyone close to me."
Fans have been quick to comment and show their support for the grieving father.
TV presenter Fearne Cotton commented: "You never ever have to explain your pain or the full extent of your life to anyone Ashley. You and Safiyya have generously let us all into your world and shared your story to help so many others. You have built a beautiful community of people who truly care. Only take note of those. They are the only comments that count."
Fellow reality TV star Pete Wicks shared his support, writing: "Some guy you are…always love brother."
I'm a Celebrity winner Giovanna Fletcher shared her support, reminding the star of the support he has created since Azaylia's death: "So many have nothing but love and respect for you. We can never control the minds of others and trying to reason with those few voices is often a waste of our energy - you have brilliant energy that you are doing so much good with. SO MUCH LOVE is swirling around because of you!"
Fans also shared their support. One commented: "It’s a shame you have to justify anything to anyone .. your family , your life , your business … stay strong"
Another wrote: "Some people can be so cruel...Stay strong and hold your head high, you have nothing to hide."
The post has earned over 130,000 likes since going live on Instagram.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Ashley CainTopics: Ashley Cain, Azaylia Cain
Niamh Spence