BBC presenter Ashley Cain had history of abusive tweets about women before hiring

A BBC presenter praised by the corporation for reaching young male audiences posted years of abusive and misogynistic tweets about women before he was hired, the Guardian has learned.

Ashley Cain presents the BBC Three series Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone. The former footballer and reality television personality travels to dangerous locations and interviews young men living on the edges of society. The second series was commissioned earlier this year.

Before joining the BBC, Cain was an active user of X, then known as Twitter. He repeatedly used slurs such as “slags”, “sluts”, “psychos” and “bitches” when referring to women. He also made jokes about hitting women and posted messages containing offensive sexual language to female users.

In 2014 he told one woman to “go and choke on a cock you slut”. In 2015 he wrote to another: “The only thing that’s desperate around here is your pictures with your shit tits. Now suck a dick, and fuck off.”

Cain did not respond to requests for comment. A BBC spokesperson said the corporation expects high standards from everyone who works with it and will consider the information carefully.

A BBC source said the corporation had been unaware of the posts. The revelations come as the first major test for new director general Matt Brittin, who started last month after earlier presenter scandals.

Executives had highlighted Cain’s ability to connect with young men. He appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2025 and reached the semi-final. The first series of Into the Danger Zone was filmed in 2024 in France, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Sweden and the Philippines.

Public warnings about Cain’s past existed before the BBC commissioned the series. He had used the phrase “you can’t turn a hoe into a housewife” on an MTV show. A 2015 newspaper report said a woman alleged he uploaded explicit footage of them to Snapchat without her consent.

Cain frequently tweeted jokes about hitting women around the time of that incident. While watching Love Island in 2015 he said he would “choke slam” contestant Jessica Hayes. On another occasion he wrote that he wanted to “dick fuck her and her big mouth, spit in her face and then fuck her off”.

He also posted jokes about non-consensual sexual acts. In 2013 he compared ignoring a woman’s request during sex to eating bad food on weekends. In 2014 he wrote that a woman who has sex with 100 men is a “slag” while a man who does the same is a “ledge”.

Cain rose to prominence on the MTV show Ex on the Beach. During its first season in 2014 he twice tried to attack other contestants and was removed early. His on-screen girlfriend at the time described him as controlling.

After the death of his daughter Azaylia from leukaemia in 2021, Cain set up a foundation in her name and has raised money for childhood cancer research through physical challenges.

The BBC said Cain connects with young men in an exceptional way. Commissioning editor Ricky Cooper called his connection “truly exceptional”. Another editor, Nasfim Haque, said Cain represents what BBC Three is about.

The series is made by True North Productions in association with Cain’s company House of Panthera. An external review of BBC culture published in April 2025 found that unacceptable behaviour by some staff was not always addressed.

Rachel Roftis, the woman named in the 2015 report, told the Guardian she met Cain in March 2015 after an appearance at a nightclub in Bexleyheath. She said they had consensual sex at a hotel but that he recorded videos and photos without her permission and posted them on Snapchat.

Roftis said she received abusive messages and faced harassment at work after the images spread. She said no one from the BBC has contacted her about the incident. Cain later denied the footage was shared without consent and said she had agreed to it.