Whatever impression Amber Portwood made on you during her stint on Teen Mom, put it aside. The girl who showed up on Dr. Phil this afternoon is a completely different person from the violent, selfish drug addict we saw over four seasons on MTV. And you know what? The new Amber Portwood is actually really likeable!
She's real! And honest! And more than willing to own up to just what a disaster she was making of her life before choosing to go to prison.
In fact, Amber had no problem throwing open the door to a closet full of skeletons and letting the TV doc poke around in there. Here are some of the more shocking things he found out:
1. Amber was never sober on camera. Save for her stint on 16 & Pregnant, the Teen Momadmitted that she was high every single time she was on MTV.
2. Her drug problems started young. Amber told Dr. Phil that the first time she tried drugs, she was only 9 years old!
3. Her much-publicized suicide attempt wasn't her only one. The night before Amber walked into court and opted for prison over rehab, she admits she took enough pills to kill herself ... and didn't care if she died.
4. Despite railing against ex-boyfriend Gary Shirley often on the show for keeping their daughter away from her, Amber admitted on camera that it was absolutely the right move. She called herself a "bad mom."
5. Amber still loves Gary. As she said to Dr. Phil,
6. Vivid Entertainment -- the company that released fellow Teen Mom Farrah Abraham's sex tape -- offered Amber the same deal years ago ... but she turned it down. Although she did not refer to Farrah by name, Amber expressed shock over her one-time co-star's video:I love Gary with all my heart. He's an amazing person ... he's sweet; he's funny. We're just toxic together.
7. If she had it to do again, Amber would still appear on Teen Mom. She says she would simply do things differently while on the show.It's weird to see people that you know and you would never think do something like that.
8. Gary cheated on Amber. Although she says she regrets hitting him and feels very badly about it, she admits she was very angry at him for telling her he'd cheated just a few days before filming.
9. Amber was getting high while IN rehab:
I was still using, and I was actually using worse. I was using a drug call fentanyl ... I would eat the patch. I was using that the whole time I was in there with a friend -- or whatever she was.
10. Amber only saw Leah three times during her entire 17-month stay in prison.
Watch Amber talk about beating Gary: