Amber Portwood is opening up about life in the wake of her domestic battery arrest in an emotional preview of the all-new season of Teen Mom OG, premiering on MTV March 17. After being accused in July 2019 of attacking then-boyfriend Andrew Glennon as he held 1-year-old son James, Portwood was arrested under suspicion of two felony counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.
“It’s been one of the hardest times of my life, but I’m proud of how I’ve handled it,” Portwood says in the season preview, sitting down with ex Gary Shirley, with whom she shares 11-year-old daughter Leah. “I’m lucky to have Gary and [Gary’s wife, Kristina Shirley’s] support throughout this whole situation.”
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Gary has been at the brunt of Portwood’s anger before, having been the victim of an attack that led to Portwood’s 2011 domestic battery conviction, but spoke out in support of his ex in the days following her July arrest.
“The number one regret that I have is that I did not walk out of that house that night,” the MTV star tells Gary. “There are limits to somebody with mental health disorders. There’s only so much somebody like me can handle, and people like me will understand that.”
Gary agrees, “You’ve learned a lot from your mistakes this time.”
“I just have a lot of guilt of not being aware of myself more than I should have,” Portwood continues. “And I really do feel ashamed that I didn’t have that, because I should after all the things I’ve done to change.”
Meanwhile, Teen Mom OG producers are heading to get Glennon’s side of the story, calling him on the phone and asking him to tell his truth for the camera.
“It’s hard to go to sleep,” Glennon says of the aftermath of the attack. “It’s a total mess, and it’s completely spiraled out of control. It’s really frustrating.”
In October, Portwood took a plea deal, pleading guilty to one felony charge for the incident, which will place her on probation for one year. If she manages to stay out of trouble in that period of time, her charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor.
Teen Mom OG returns with a two-hour season premiere on Tuesday, March 17 at 8 p.m. ET.
Photo credit: MTV
