Inside the years since followers first met Amber Portwood on 16 & Pregnant, they’ve seen her experience just a few of life’s most pretty moments — and been there for her hardest situations too.
Three years into her relationship with boyfriend Gary Shirley, the Indiana native realized that they have been anticipating their first toddler in 2008. He popped the question shortly sooner than daughter Leah Leann Shirley was born in November 2008. Their first few years of parenthood have been chronicled on every 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom.
Nonetheless, their relationship shortly turned rocky, with quite a lot of their fights, break ups and make ups collaborating in out on actuality TV. A kind of fights, which was captured on digital digital camera, resulted in Portwood being arrested in December 2010 and charged with two felony counts of dwelling battery, one felony rely of neglect of a dependent and one misdemeanor rely of dwelling battery. She spent the evening time in jail and was barred from having any contact with Gary.
Over time, Portwood has been open about her struggles with psychological effectively being and substance abuse. Together with her dwelling violence arrest, the MTV persona served 17 months in jail after violating her probation in her December 2011 drug possession case. “I’ve truly horrible anger points on account of I’m bipolar and borderline, which is not an excuse, nevertheless on the time I didn’t notice it, so I wasn’t truly caring for myself or truly understanding why I was feeling positive emotions,” she revealed all through a 2018 interview with the “Dopey” podcast, together with that hard partying often led to her violent outbursts and that her TV money often went to drug sellers.
“When you’re making some big money, there’s additional medicine,” Portwood outlined. “Every time a drug vendor had a model new stash, of regardless of, they referred to as me first on account of they knew I’d buy the whole [stash], on account of I had the money to do it. It on no account helps.”
Points appeared to indicate spherical for her after she devoted to getting clear, and he or she obtained engaged to on-off boyfriend Matt Baier in April 2015. Merely over two years later, however, Portwood confirmed all through an interview with Us Weekly that she and Baier had lower up. “We’re not collectively correct now,” she utterly revealed in June 2017. “At this degree, I suggested him it’s nearly as a lot as him to keep away from losing this relationship.”
Whereas filming Marriage Boot Camp collectively together with her ex-fiancé, Portwood met cinematographer Andrew Glennon, who she later began courting. “We’re going sluggish and we’re merely making an attempt to be good about all of the issues, which is good to go looking out somebody in your stage like that,” she suggested Us in August 2017.
“I consider we merely form of fell into this groove truly having enjoyable with life with each other for a while, so it’s form of gratifying and it’s form of crucial in a method as correctly. Nonetheless we’re making an attempt to not put an extreme quantity of stress on a relationship.”
In November 2017, Us confirmed that the Under no circumstances Too Late creator and Glennon have been anticipating a baby boy. The couple welcomed son James in Would possibly 2018. “[Andrew] is such an amazing man and loves caring for James,” Portwood gushed to Us one month later. “He was afraid of postpartum despair, so he’s on a regular basis checking up on me. He merely wants to confirm I’m beloved. It’s practically wonderful.”
Merely over one yr later, Portwood was arrested as soon as extra on felony dwelling battery costs after a disagreement with Glennon turned violent. She ultimately took a plea deal, receiving one felony value for the incident and agreeing to at the least one yr of probation. In July 2022, Glennon was awarded sole custody of James after nearly three years of battling for custody.
“I’ve labored so onerous to increased myself and improve my relationships with my children,” the Indiana native suggested Us in an announcement on the time. “Whereas I’ve on a regular basis been candid about my earlier substance abuse and struggles with psychological illness, a person must have the prospect to redeem themselves and by no means be tethered to their points from the earlier.
I’ve spent years rebuilding bridges and did all of the issues that was required of me, along with submitting 21 unfavorable drug assessments and current course of quite a lot of psychological evaluations, in case your freeway has not been wonderful, nevertheless you’ve labored onerous to grow to be a better, additional regular and caring specific individual for the time being, protect transferring forward as I am going to.”
