PHOTOSTeen Mom OG's Amber Portwood Through The Years
Last week, Teen Mom OG's Amber Portwood turned 25, and boy, has it been an insane quarter of a century for this young mama. She's overcome a ton in her short life, between her parents' separation, the loss of her baby sister, her dad's death, and of course, her own struggles with addiction. Click through to see photos of Amber through the years, plus to get a little more insight into the complicated childhood of Leah's mama.
Amber Leann Portwood was born on May 14, 1990 in Florida to Tonya and Shawn Portwood.
Amber also has an older brother, Shawn, whom she fondly refers to as Bubby.
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Unfortunately, Shawn and Amber lost their baby sister, Candace, to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in 1996 when Candace was a baby. Their sister's death has had a tremendous effect on the Portwood family, and both Shawn and Amber have said that that was partly what led their father to take up drugs and alcohol.
How much does Amber look like her daughter, Leah, in this baby photo? Twins!
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But anyway, despite the loss of her sister, Amber's parents tried to keep life as normal as possible for Amber and Shawn, and they eventually moved to Indiana.
In 2004, Amber's parents separated, and around that same time Shawn Sr. was suffering from liver failure, which also had a huge effect on the family. By 2011 he had been diagnosed with cancer, and he passed away in 2014.
EXCLUSIVE: Here's Amber Portwood looking every inch the chubby teenager before Teen Mom made her famous.
But luckily, Amber had other family members to rely on during these difficult times, like her cousin, Krystal, who she's still very close with today. Do you recognize Krystal from Teen Mom OG?!
Close up shots of Teen Mom Amber Portwood's and Gary Shirley's promise rings
In 2008, Amber Portwood gave birth to her daughter, Leah, with Gary Shirley, who she dated on-and-off for years. She battled addiction for most of her life, and Amber served time in prison from 2012-2013 to help her get sober.
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Now, Amber is sober and healthy, and has even found love again in her fiance, Matt Baier. She's also working on slowly getting joint custody of Leah. Oh, how far she's come!
Are you surprised at Amber's troubled childhood? Tweet us @OKMagazine.
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