Former reality star and BBC presenter Ashley Cain has spoken out after his past posts using offensive language about women resurfaced.
The 35-year-old’s BBC documentary series, Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone, was cancelled after misogynistic remarks he made about women on X, including calling them “s–ts”, “psychos” and “b–ches” were unearthed.
Ashley Cain was a footballer turned reality star turned BBC documentary host. Instagram
The Guardian also uncovered other posts that included sexually explicit and aggressive content.
Cain addressed the “language I used many years ago that I am not proud of” in a post to Instagram, after he was dropped by his management and season two of his docuseries was canned.
“I don’t deny it. I don’t excuse it. And I certainly don’t condone it,” Cain wrote.
He said the unearthed comments, posted between 2011 and 2015, were made by “a younger version of myself who still had a lot of growing up to do”.
Cain issued a lengthy statement on Instagram. Instagram/@mrashleycain
“I cannot change the past, and truthfully, I have never tried to hide from it,” he said.
“I have always believed that accountability matters. We should all take responsibility for our actions, good or bad.
“But I also believe in growth, in learning from our mistakes, and in proving through our actions that the person we once were does not have to be the person we remain.”
He said at the time, he was “lost, frustrated and unsure” of where his life was heading after injury brought his football career to an end.
Cain said he had grown and learned lessons from fatherhood, including the devastating loss of his eight-month-old daughter, Azaylia Cain, from a rare form of leukaemia in 2021.
“I cannot change what I said over a decade ago. What I can do is take responsibility for it,” he said.
“What I can do is continue striving every day to be a good father, a good human and a positive force in the lives of others.”
Before the comments came to light, Cain had been lauded by the BBC as someone who could connect “with young men in a truly exceptional way”.
A BBC spokesperson branded Cain’s comments from years ago “completely unacceptable”. Getty
In his BBC Three series, Into the Danger Zone, Cain met young men on the fringes of society in dangerous and brutal parts of the world. A second season had been filmed, but will no longer air.
In a statement after the scandal broke, the British public broadcaster said it was investigating its own vetting and social media checks.
“The posts by Ashley Cain, albeit from many years ago, are completely unacceptable,” a spokesperson said.