Ashley Cain says he’s ‘not proud’ of sexist language

Warning: This story contains explicit and offensive language.

Ashley Cain has said he is “not proud” of language he used in social media posts a decade ago, after a newspaper unearthed explicit sexist and misogynistic comments made by the reality star.

The BBC pulled Cain’s forthcoming documentary series after it was reported he had frequently referred to women using abusive terms and sexualised language.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Cain said: “You may have seen a recent article concerning language I used many years ago that I am not proud of.”

“I don’t deny it, I don’t excuse it and I certainly don’t condone it. The truth is, these comments were made over a decade ago by a younger version of myself who still had a lot of growing up to do.”

At the time of the original comments on his since-deleted X account, Cain said his dream of professional footballer had disappeared because of injury.

“Reality TV gave me a second chance,” he continued, “but it also put me into a world I didn’t know, one in which I was rewarded for developing a provocative personality.”

A second series of BBC Three’s Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone was commissioned and filmed earlier this year, but had not yet been scheduled for broadcast. Last week, the BBC said it has “no future projects” with Cain planned.

In tweets first reported by the Guardian, some of which have been seen by BBC News, Cain appeared to call women “slags”, “bitches” and other offensive terms.

Cain, who starred in TV shows such as MTV’s Ex on the Beach and BBC’s Go Hard or Go Home, also appeared to use the terms “sluts” and “psychos” and made jokes about hitting women.

In a lengthy Instagram post published on Monday, Cain wrote: “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.”

The former Coventry City player said that while it wasn’t an excuse, losing his previous career as a professional footballer due to injury had caused him to feel “lost, frustrated and unsure of where my life was heading”.

He also spoke about being “raised by incredible women”, including his mother, aunt, grandmother and sister.

“Looking back now, I can see many moments in my younger years where I lacked maturity, perspective and understanding. Like many young men, I had lessons to learn, and life made sure I learned them.”

Cain also spoke about the death of his baby daughter from cancer in 2021 and how it had “changed me forever”.

“I have dedicated my life to trying to honour my daughter’s legacy and help others wherever I can. To support children and families facing childhood cancer.”

He added: “The reason I am able to connect with people who are struggling, particularly young men, is not because I have lived a perfect life.

“It’s because I haven’t. I’ve made mistakes. l’ve experienced loss. I’ve faced consequences. I’ve learned lessons the hard way.

“And through all of it, I’ve learned that real growth isn’t about pretending your past never happened.

“It’s about owning it, learning from it and becoming better because of it.”

He said it had been “difficult to see these stories return” and he “had hoped people would recognise that growth is possible.”

In a statement issued on Thursday last week, a BBC spokesman said: “The posts by Ashley Cain, albeit from many years ago, are completely unacceptable.

“The BBC has clear requirements around vetting and social media checks, which are undertaken by the production company.

“In this instance, the process clearly failed and we are investigating why. We are continuing to strengthen our processes to ensure everyone working for, and on behalf of, the BBC meets our values and standards.

“We have no plans to broadcast the new series of Into the Danger Zone, and no future projects with Ashley Cain.”