Ashley is originally from Camberley, Surrey, and she has an elder brother. Her full name, Simone Ashwini Pillai, was given at birth. Her parents, Latha and Gunasekharan Pillai, are of Indian Tamil descent. Ashley has stated that although being raised in a household where education played an important role, she has always felt more of a pull toward the artistic fields. Her parents had some reservations about their daughter pursuing her interest in the arts. She revealed to Glamour that her parents had a very protective attitude toward her. They are members of the first generation. They arrived in this country from India, which meant that they had never actually lived a life in which they could choose to be whatever or whatever they wanted to be. Ashley spent her childhood performing in several musical genres, including opera, classical music, and on the piano.

Later on, Ashley's family relocated to Beaconsfield, where she completed her secondary education at Beaconsfield High School and subsequently her sixth form studies at Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead. She dropped out of school when she was only sixteen, calling herself "very stubborn" and said that she "wished my life away." She has family in the Ojai area of California, so she decided to spend some of her teenage years there. At the age of 18, she became a model and began her career by trying out for modeling agencies. After that, she attended Arts Educational School (ArtsEd), which is located in West London, to study acting..

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