Ashley Cain has been accused of using derogatory language towards women in a slew of vile social media posts dating back several years. The TV personality and former footballer was a frequent tweeter prior to working with the BBC, having begun filming a documentary series, Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone, earlier this year.
Having since been commissioned for a second season, the BBC Three programme sees the 35-year-old Ex on the Beach star travel to Brazil to meet young men living in Rio’s most dangerous favelas. There, he explores the impact of being born into a life where drug and gang-related criminality is necessary for survival.
However, Cain’s own views have now made headlines after he was allegedly revealed to have referred to women as ‘psychos’, ‘s**gs’, ‘s**ts’, and ‘b*****s’ in various abusive posts. Additionally, he previously replied to social media users with explicit remarks, telling one to ‘suck a d**k’ and another to ‘go and choke on a c**k’.
The Guardian exposed Cain’s comments, which appear to go back at least 15 years. His X account (which was Twitter at the time) now seems to have been deactivated. He allegedly tweeted ‘jokes’ on numerous occasions about hitting and slapping women, with one being 2015 Love Island contestant Jessica Hayes, whom he said he ‘would have to choke slam real quick’ if he were in the villa with her.
In a separate post, Cain wrote that he wanted to ‘d**k f**k her and her big mouth, spit in her face and then f**k her off’. It’s claimed that Cain has also posted about sexual practices that ‘blur the boundaries of consent’, such as a 2011 tweet about an extreme sex act involving semen, describing how it would be carried out against a ‘chick’ or ‘b***h’.
The following year, while watching a Channel 4 documentary, Cain tweeted that he wanted to ‘talcum powder pimp slap these b*****s already’. And in 2013, Cain allegedly tweeted that ‘eating bad food at weekends is like when a girl says, “Don’t cum in me”, but you do it anyway, then think, “S**t”,’ followed by three crying laughing faces.
Other alleged posts include those from 2014 in which he said a guy who ‘bangs 100 girls’ is a ‘ledge’ while a girl who ‘bangs 100 guys’ is a ‘s**g’, and one where he said: ‘I DO NOT.. I repeat I DO NOT think EVERY girl is a slag! There are some absolute PHENOMENAL women out there.. They’re just a rare commodity.’
Continuing to share his sexist posts, Cain wrote in 2015: ‘I know some s**ts that think they’re not s**ts cuz they s**t discreetly. Lol.’ And in a reply to a fellow user of the site (whose original tweet is unknown), Cain typed: ‘The only thing that’s desperate around here is your pictures with your s**t t**s. Now suck a d**k, and f**k off.’
The Guardian claims there are ‘dozens’ of similar posts from Cain, all of which were publicly available to view for over a decade until the profile was removed. Consequently, it raised questions about the BBC’s vetting process ahead of hiring Cain to front his own series, which was shot on location in 2024 and aired in 2025.
When contacted for a comment, a BBC spokesperson told Metro: ‘We are very clear we expect the highest standards of behaviour from everyone who works with or for the BBC. When allegations are brought to our attention, we take them seriously. We will consider this information carefully and do not intend to comment further at this stage.’
While Metro understands that Into the Danger Zone’s second series has not been scheduled for TX at this stage, Cain himself shared on Instagram just last week that it was due for release next month. Alongside a picture of himself with an award for the docuseries, he penned: ‘Series 2 is coming in July… and trust me, we’re only just getting started.’
Previously, BBC executives heaped praise on the presenter, with Ricky Cooper, a commissioning editor, lauding him in a press release when Into the Danger Zone was announced. Cooper described Cain as someone who ‘connects with young men in a truly exceptional way’ while another commissioner, Nasfim Haque, said last year: ‘Ashley is what BBC Three is about – a new talent giving us a new perspective.’
Cain rose to prominence in the late 2000s when he made his professional football debut for Coventry City, after which he had stints at Luton Town, Oxford United, and Mansfield Town. From there, Cain forged a TV career, appearing on Ex on the Beach, during which he acquired a reputation for problematic behaviour, leading to him being branded the ‘bad boy of MTV’.
During the reality show’s first season in 2014, he was sent home early for attempted assault on a male contributor. He was also described as ‘controlling’ by a former girlfriend, while Cain himself said he was ‘quite a lenient guy’ who ‘lets her do what she wants to do’ without ‘putting the reins on her’.
Cain returned for future seasons of the show, his fame soaring as a result as he clocked up over two million online followers. The Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins contestant gained further respect and admiration with his fundraising efforts following the death of his daughter, Azaylia, in April 2021.
Azaylia was eight months old when she died, having been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia at just eight weeks. Following her diagnosis, Cain and his partner, Safiyya Vorajee, raised more than £1.5 million to fund her treatment in Singapore.
The couple has since separated, announcing their break-up a year after Azaylia’s death, writing in a joint message: ‘We are bonded by our powerful journey together, by the eternal love we have for our daughter.’ They also established a charity, The Azaylia Foundation, together in their late daughter’s name, which continues to support families who have been affected by childhood cancer.
While raising money for the cause, Cain has undertaken numerous physical challenges while speaking candidly about his grief journey. In 2024, he ran, kayaked, and cycled more than 3,000 miles and raised almost £200,000.
Reps for Ashley Cain have been contacted for comment. The Azaylia Foundation has also been contacted.
