Teen Mom’s Amber Portwood Says HELL NO To Gary Shirley’s Wife Adopting Leah!
Teen Mom’s Amber Portwood Says HELL NO To Gary Shirley’s Wife Adopting Leah
Amber Portwood is firmly opposed to the idea of her daughter Leah being adopted by Gary Shirley’s wife, Kristina.
According to an exclusive source who spoke with Us Weekly, Amber, 34, is determined to remain a central figure in her 15-year-old daughter’s life and has no intention of transferring parental responsibilities to anyone else.
“Having Kristina adopt Leah would never happen on Amber’s watch,” the insider revealed. “She wants to be in Leah’s life. She is not looking to hand off parental responsibility to somebody else.”
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The issue gained prominence following a recent episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter that aired on July 18. In that episode, Gary, 37, shared that Leah had expressed a desire to be adopted by Kristina.
“Trust me, the best thing that ever happened to Leah was Kristina,” Gary told his costars during a guys’ trip to Michigan. “Kristina is a loving parent and Leah’s wanting to be adopted by Kristina.”
The revelation reportedly came as a shock to Amber. The emotional weight of the situation was not lost on the former 16 and Pregnant star.
“Obviously, any implication that her daughter wants to be adopted is devastating to Amber,” the source explained. “Her two kids are the reason Amber wakes up in the morning. They are why she continues filming the show and her motivation for everything.”
In addition to Leah, Amber is also the mother of 6-year-old James, whom she shares with ex-boyfriend, Andrew Glennon. James, who does not appear on the show due to a court order, remains a significant part of Amber’s life. Despite her challenges, Amber has been trying to stay involved with Leah and reach out regularly.
The source added, “She’s always thinking about her daughter and wants to spend time with her. Amber often gets misunderstood because she puts up such a tough front and people think she is so strong, but she’s actually quite sensitive. This has not been an easy time for Amber on top of dealing with her mental health, which she has been very open about.”
Amber’s friends and fellow Teen Mom stars, Maci Bookout McKinney and Catelynn Lowell, have shown support for her during this difficult time. Both questioned Gary’s decision to publicly discuss Leah’s adoption wishes.
“I love Gary to death, but that pisses me off because Gary shouldn’t be going around telling people s–t like this,” Maci, 32, expressed in a previous episode of Teen Mom. “That’s not fair. … This is a hard situation.”
The drama surrounding Amber, Leah, and the potential adoption continues to unfold on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, which airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
Amber’s commitment to her children and her struggle with the current situation remain central themes in her ongoing reality TV journey.
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Olivia Davis is a Staff Writer at All About The Tea. Olivia’s hobbies include binging Netflix series, and watching Housewives on Bravo. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in History.