Teen Mom's Amber Portwood is not OK with the idea of her daughter, Leah, getting adopted by Gary Shirley's wife, Kristina. According to a source in an exclusive US Weekly interview, “Having Kristina adopt Leah would never happen on Amber’s watch. She wants to be in Leah’s life. She is not looking to hand off parental responsibility to somebody else.”
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Gary says Leah wanted to be adopted by his wife.
On an episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter that premiered on July 18, 2024, Gary said his 15-year-old daughter expressed interest in being adopted by her stepmom. “Trust me, the best thing that ever happened to Leah was Kristina,” the 37-year-old told his costars during a trip to Michigan. “Kristina is a loving parent and Leah’s wanting to be adopted by Kristina.”
The source says it's an emotional topic for Amber.
“Obviously, any implication that her daughter wants to be adopted is devastating to Amber,” the source said. “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.”
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Gary expressed his desire for Amber to make more of an effort to stay in touch with Leah.
In the latest episode of the show, Gary shared how he hopes Amber will continue reaching out to Leah and make an effort to stay in regular communication with her. According to the source, the mom has been making efforts “for months” to spend time with her daughter.
The source calls Amber 'misunderstood.'
“She’s always thinking about her daughter and wants to spend time with her,” the source told the news outlet. “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 has another child.
In addition to her daughter, Amber is also mom to a 6-year-old son named James. She shares him with ex Andrew Glennon, and he doesn’t appear on the show because of a court order.
Watch here to get a glimpse into Amber's evolution on Teen Mom.
