It seems that congratulations are in order. Teen Mom star Amber Portwood is reportedly engaged to her boyfriend Gary, not to be confused with her ex Gary Shirley. Life for the reality star has been difficult over the years since she first starred on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom. Amber has battled substance abuse issues and has lost custody of her two kids, Leah and James, along the way. Now that she’s starring on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, hopefully this new relationship will prove to be a positive force in her life.
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Amber is about to live that wife life.
A source exclusively told Us Weekly that Gary, whose last name is unknown, proposed “within the last two weeks,” and the insider added that Amber’s engagement ring is made from “a family stone that was reset into a new ring.”
“She’s really, really happy,” the source shared.
It looks like they're really putting in the work.
It sounds like Amber and Gary are taking their relationship seriously and are doing the work to make sure that they’re creating a solid foundation, according to the insider. “They’ve been in couple’s therapy and talk about everything,” the source shared. “They’re being very proactive in their relationship and are doing the work to prevent problems before they start.”
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Amber and Gary met in a fairly typical way.
Us Weekly was the first to report on Amber and Gary’s relationship in January of this year. According to insiders, Amber and Gary met on a dating app, and he lives in Amber’s hometown of Indianapolis. Gary, who is in his late 30s, doesn’t have children of his own but is “very family-oriented,” and cares for his parents. Most importantly, he has never seen Teen Mom.
“All the guys Amber has dated before she met on social media and were fans of the show,” the source explained. “This new man in her life has actually never seen Teen Mom so she feels she can finally date in the way she’s always wanted to.”
Amber has introduced Gary to her costars already.
Even though he’s never seen the show, Gary has now been on it. During the most recent episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Amber shared the new man in her life on a Zoom with some of her castmates. “This is my boyfriend,” Amber said. “We are now officially a couple.”
He chimed in, saying, “Hello everybody. My name is actually Gary, believe it or not.”
Cast member Jade Cline quipped, “Maybe this is the Gary for you,” to which Amber replied, “It seems like it.”
She has also told her daughter Leah about her new relationship.
In the same episode, Amber tells Leah about her new relationship during a family dinner for the teen’s 15th birthday. “I didn’t tell you. So I have a new boyfriend,” Amber said. “Here, I’ll just show you a little picture.”
Leah declined seeing a photo but asked if Amber was planning on having more kids. Amber said she wasn’t against the idea, to which Leah replied “As long as he makes you happy.”
