Amber Portwood Doesn’t Blame Fame For Past Problems
Amber Portwood rose to fame on the hit MTV show 16 and Pregnant and its spin-off Teen Mom. On the show, Amber’s chaotic life was chronicled and cameras were rolling as things got progressively worse for the young mom. Now, sober and out of prison, Amber is looking forward to a fresh start, but does she blame her problems on the reality television show?
Obviously, it would be easy for Amber to do that, as it would be an easy scapegoat. With her name in headlines once the show became a hit, she was under media scrutiny and faced with fans that had something to say about her every move. Despite all that pressure, Amber doesn’t blame Teen Mom for her past troubles, though. In fact, in a huge show of maturity, she actually admits to an Indiana newspaper, The Herald Bulletin, that her problems were there well before the cameras started roiling.
“The truth of it is I was kind of going down this road without the show anyways. Before the show I was already out of school. I was pregnant. I was promiscuous. I didn’t have my head on straight at all.”
Amber Portwood became pregnant as a teenager to her older boyfriend, Gary Shirley. The two have a daughter together, but Gary has custody of the little girl. Although they tried to make their relationship work, it was obvious that these two were toxic together and, after prison, they went their separate ways for good. However, they still work together to co-parent for their daughter who is also seen on Teen Mom OG. In fact, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, Amber was even recently photographed holding Gary’s new baby.
While she doesn’t blame the show for her problems, she does attribute it to doing something in her life.
“Honestly, I don’t know where I would be today if it wasn’t for the support actually of the show in the end. Some situations of course wouldn’t have happened. But then again, I think where would I be at in my life? I don’t think I would be doing much of anything. So I’m kind of happy I got this opportunity. It gives me an opportunity to share my story and help others, too.”
Since appearing on Teen Mom OG, Amber Portwood has had the opportunity to share her story with fans. Prior to her stay in prison, Amber had a book deal, but has admitted that she didn’t know what to do with it. After prison, though, she took the opportunity to tell her story to her fans. The book has been a huge success and has allowed her to embark on a book tour and meet fans.
This is just one opportunity that Amber Portwood would not have had without the show. She also revealed that she has bigger plans for her future which involve opening rehab programs.
[Image: via Twitter]
