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Gary Shirley Explains Why He's Continued to Support Amber Portwood Through Her Domestic Battery Arrest

By Natalie Zamora

Gary Shirley is speaking out on why he's continued to be supportive of ex-fiancé Amber Portwood of 'Teen Mom OG' fame.
Gary Shirley is speaking out on why he's continued to be supportive of ex-fiancé Amber Portwood of 'Teen Mom OG' fame. / Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

Teen Mom OG star Amber Portwood has had her fair share of hardships in the past year alone, but the support of her ex-fiancé and baby daddy Gary Shirley has certainly made all the difference in getting through it. As fans will remember, the mom-of-two most recently had trouble with the law after she was arrested in July 2019, following a physical feud with her then-boyfriend, Andrew Glennon. In the months following, Gary and his wife Kristina have stood by Amber's side as she continues to deal with the fallout.

As shown this season of the MTV series, Amber is moving on from Andrew and onto a new boyfriend, a man from Belgium named Dimitri Garcia. As we saw in last night's episode, the Indiana native introduced her new boo to both Gary and their daughter Leah, and everything seemed to be going well for all parties involved. As many fans at home watched and wondered how Gary could continue to be so loving towards Amber after everything they've been through, the dad-of-two has sounded off.

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In the comments section for a video posted by the Teen Mom Instagram account which showed parts of last night's episode, Gary wrote of his relationship with Amber:

"In support of Leah, having both her parents is very important. Amber[']s happiness is a huge key to her children’s happiness. Amber comes over regularly with [James, her son with Andrew] for visits to see Leah and our family. When James sees Leah his eyes get big and he runs to her, while [Emilee, his daughter with Kristina] wants James to herself. Lol! One of the many things James loves is sitting with Leah listening to music. Emilee included. Amber is always saying 'Are you sure you don’t mind? I don’t want to intrude.' However, we encourage her to visit and this also gives us a chance to see little man (baby James). Amber made some heller mistakes and she is PAYING for them and getting the help she needs, and for that I’m thankful. She knows this CAN’T happen again. My support doesn’t mean I condone her actions towards Andrew. Domestic violence is NEVER ok. In the end I want to know I did everything I could to help my daughter & James. Supporting their mother HAS to be a part of that. I’m proud of the steps Amber has taken for herself and for her kids. She has come a long way."

What a thorough, mature explanation! We're sure his message was in response to the many comments on the post that were gushing over Gary for being such a great dad to Leah and friend to Amber. One fan wrote, "Gary has really stepped up since the EARLY YEARS. He turned out to be a great father, husband, baby daddy and friend to [A]mber. She would be so lost without his support. Awesome job dude!" Another said, "Gary is an amazing and supportive friend as is his wife. [Whatever] connection [A]mber is seeking, it’s good to know someone always has her back. This is special." We agree!

We hope Amber knows how lucky she is to have the support system she does in Gary and Kristina, and can't wait to see more of their awesome friendship in episodes to come. This is exactly what she needs to improve her life choices!