Ashley Cain visits dangerous cities for new series

Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone will be aired on BBC Three at 21:00 BST on Tuesday

The former Coventry City player-turned-reality star Ashley Cain has stepped into some of the world's most hazardous cities as part of new factual series Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone.

The six-part series sees Mr Cain explore the issues faced by young men born into a life on the fringes of society, where criminality has become a form of survival.

The 34-year-old from Nuneaton experienced what it was like to be under the watch of the cartel in Colombia, visited a prison rife with gangs in the Philippines, and observed illegal poaching in South Africa.

Mr Cain said the series is not just about danger but also perspective and unfiltered reality.

He credited his daughter Azaylia, who died from a rare form of leukaemia in April 2021, for the opportunities and doors that had been opened for him.

"I wouldn't be doing a single thing that I'm doing now, I wouldn't have achieved anything that I have achieved in the past four years if it wasn't for her.

"I got to hear from people who don't have opportunity, who don't have chances, who have been excluded from society, on all that they need and it's not a lot."

The 34-year-old said he wanted to try and adopt the things he had learnt while making the series and put them in place in the UK.

"There's a lot of poverty here, there's a lot of trouble and violence here, I just want to try and make the world a better place," he added.

Mr Cain said his experiences meant he was "the right man for the job"

Mr Cain said the Brazilian favelas were the scariest place he visited but added: "It was also the most fantastic and phenomenal place, I dreamed of going there since I was a kid".

He added that his experiences meant he was "the right person for the job".

"I've been brought up being exposed to certain things where I could have easily gone into a life of crime.

"I've had a lot of traumatic experiences that have caused me a lot of pain and heartache that could have made me angry and bitter towards the world.

"I don't think you could have a picked a better person to go into these situations," he said.

Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone will be aired on BBC Three at 21:00 BST on Tuesday and all episodes are available on BBC iPlayer.