REALITY TVAmber Portwood's Daughter 'Scared' Stepmom Kristina Shirley Will Leave Due to 'Abandonment' Issues Related to MTV Star
Amber Portwood's daughter revealed she has abandonment issues.
Feb. 21 2025, Published 11:27 a.m. ET
Amber Portwood’s daughter, Leah, confessed to having such bad abandonment issues she worries her stepmother, Kristina Shirley, will leave her.
Leah Shirley said she worries people will leave her because of Amber Portwood not being around.
"I just think I have a lot of issues because of Amber, and the experiences that I've had," Leah told her father, Gary, on the February 20 episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.
Leah gave more details during the confessional, noting: “I’m not really sure when I realized when she wasn't there, but I know I do have abandonment issues from her not being around. But I do know that there's a lot going on that makes it difficult for her to be able to be there for me. I feel like it does affect me every day because I'm always scared that Kristina's gonna leave me. I’m always scared that people are just gonna leave me for no reason."
Gary Shirley suggested Leah get therapy to deal with her issues with Amber Portwood.
While talking to her father, she explained she’s seen a lot of old clips of Teen Mom on TikTok that are “painful to watch.” Specifically, she noted watching a scene where Amber was “screaming” at Gary, which resulted in him leaving. She also mentioned another clip where Amber was yelling at Gary, asking why she was crying.
"I see the older ones from when I was, like, 2,” she revealed. “And it’s just weird to watch because it’s always, like, Amber screaming at you and you leave. And then there’s one clip where she’s yelling, like, ‘Why is Leah crying?’ — when she’s in a complete opposite room, just leaving me. And it’s just weird. I think those ones are kinda painful to watch because it’s little me.”
Amid her conversation with her father, Gary suggested therapy may be beneficial to Leah, noting it may help her to “forgive” Amber, “overcome” her trauma and “move on.”
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Gary Shirley said he didn't want to pry about what Leah discussed in her therapy session.
Later in the show, Gary shared with Kristina he made a therapy appointment for Leah. “Leah is about to be 16, and she can go to her therapist, and say whatever she wants,” he said. “So, if she doesn't want her mom to know, that's final."
Although MTV cameras did not go into the therapy appointment with Leah, Gary shared he believes they talked “a little bit” about Amber, but he didn’t “want to pry.” Kristina asked him if he thinks therapy with Amber — who hasn’t had contact with Leah in four months — could potentially be beneficial.
"No," Gary answered. "Now, it's to a point where you're giving up on somebody [who's] given up on you. There's a difference there."
Gary Shirley wished Amber Portwood 'good luck' if she wants to go to court to get more time with Leah.
He went on to note Leah has “built a boundary” to protect herself from “getting hurt,” and he wished Amber “good luck” if she “wanted to go to court” in an attempt to see the teenager more.
"Leah said if she was ever forced to go there, she would run away," Kristina sadly told Gary.
In a confessional, Gary made it clear his focus is on ensuring his daughter is OK. "Whenever dealing with Leah, I want it to be her thoughts, her feelings, I think that makes it, it kind of puts a lot of those hard questions out of my hands and into someone else's hands [who's] a professional," he explained. "It's only Leah [who] matters."
