Amber Portwood isn’t on board with the idea that her daughter Leah could be adopted by Gary Shirley’s wife Kristina.
“Having Kristina adopt Leah would never happen on Amber’s watch,” a source exclusively shared with Us Weekly. “She wants to be in Leah’s life. She is not looking to hand off parental responsibility to somebody else.”
On the Thursday, July 18, episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Gary, 37, claimed his 15-year-old daughter has expressed interest in being adopted by her stepmom.
“Trust me, the best thing that ever happened to Leah was Kristina,” he told his costars during a guys’ trip to Michigan. “Kristina is a loving parent and Leah’s wanting to be adopted by Kristina.”
While it’s unclear when Amber, 34, learned about her daughter’s wishes, a source said that the topic is an emotional one for the former 16 and Pregnant star.
“Obviously, any implication that her daughter wants to be adopted is devastating to Amber,” the insider told Us. “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 mom to James, 6, with ex Andrew Glennon. He doesn’t appear on the show, per a court order.
In the latest episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Gary expressed his hope that Amber would continue reaching out to Leah and make an effort to stay in regular communication.
But according to a source, Amber has been texting, reaching out and making efforts “for months” to spend time with Leah.
“She’s always thinking about her daughter and wants to spend time with her,” the source said. “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.”
Two people who appear to be in Amber’s corner are her longtime costars and friends Maci Bookout McKinney and Catelynn Lowell. After hearing about Gary’s revelation, the pair questioned if they should give Amber a heads-up.
“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, said in a previous Teen Mom episode. “That’s not fair. … This is a hard situation.”
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs Thursday nights on MTV at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
