Teen Mom 2 veteran Leah Messer talked about the struggles she faced with a recent health scare this season and admitted she was “fearful” of filming her experience.
In an interview with PopCulture, Leah admitted to feeling “fearful” after she discovered a lump in her breast, but she decided that she would film her journey anyway and share it with viewers.
“Discovering the lump was very difficult for me to film about. I was fearful in that moment,” she said.
Leah said that the “educational message” that the show offers, as well as the potential of helping viewers, is what drove her decision to share her experience.
The 29-year-old mom of three mentioned that she chose not to film her daughter Addie’s grandmother’s cancer journey years ago on the show and now sees things differently, so she decided to let cameras film the intimate moments in her life.
Leah used her health scare as a learning experience for her daughters
While navigating her health scare, Leah admitted she tried to “remain optimistic” and used it as a learning experience for her daughters, saying, “I just kind of openly communicated with them what was going on — not to scare them, but to let them know everything is fine and is going to be fine.”
In a recent clip of this upcoming season of Teen Mom 2, Leah was shown talking to her girls about her health scare and enforcing the importance of regular checks and doctor visits.
Leah’s twin daughters have bonded over a new activity
Leah touched on how much her three girls are growing up and the strides they’ve made in their lives already.
Ali, who lives with muscular dystrophy, has started taking horseback riding lessons with her twin sister Aleeah.
Leah noted how the activity “really works for her core strength” since Ali sometimes struggles with more rigorous activities.
Leah has reached Teen Mom 2 viewers for nearly 12 years now “on such a large platform” and being in the public eye has helped her to better deal with the pressures of being famous.
“[Criticism] doesn’t really get to me anymore, because I know what kind of mom I am, what kind of person, and what kind of woman I am. So I don’t listen to [negative comments].”
Fans can catch up with veteran Leah and the rest of the cast, including new castmate Ashley Jones, tomorrow for the season opener of Teen Mom 2.
Season 11 of Teen Mom 2 returns Tuesday, May 4 at 8/7c on MTV.