Teen Mom star Gary Shirley celebrated his and Amber Portwood’s daughter, Leah Shirley, on her 14th birthday.
Gary and Amber are no longer together and shared a tumultuous relationship during their early years on the show. However, Gary and his wife, Kristina Shirley, have been raising Leah, as Gary has primary physical custody of his daughter.
Earlier this week, Leah celebrated turning 14, and Gary commemorated the special moment on Instagram.
In a carousel post, Gary and Leah posed for several photos together. In some of the snaps, Gary and Kristina’s daughter, Emilee, also joined the duo.
In a touching caption, Gary wrote, “Wishing my very awesome daughter Leah shirley a very happy birthday, she’s a very smart young lady & I couldn’t ask for a better kid. I love you Leah so very much.”
Gary’s Instagram post was well received, with more than 63,000 Likes and thousands of uplifting comments. Gary and Kristina received praise from many of his followers, who commended them for their job raising Leah.
Teen Mom fans praise Gary and Kristina Shirley for parenting his and Amber Portwood’s daughter Leah
“You and Kristina have done an amazing job raising her and making such a beautiful home,” read one of the comments.
Another fan told Leah to be “proud” of herself, Gary, and Kristina and called the family “amazing.”
One of Gary’s fans praised Leah for supporting her mom, Amber, after she lost custody of her other child, her 4-year-old son, James, and called Amber “lucky” to have Leah in her life.
Amber Portwood and Gary Shirley share an improved relationship
Although Amber and Gary’s relationship past is a rocky one, they’ve made great strides in recent months. As Teen Mom: The Next Chapter viewers watched last week, Gary agreed to accompany Amber to her former Indiana home that she once shared with her ex and second baby daddy, Andrew Glennon.
Gary also agreed to testify in Amber’s defense amid her custody case regarding James. “Amber is a different person now than she was with me, and she is a different person than she was even a year and a half ago,” Gary told a judge of his ex, adding that he was “very proud” of her.
Sadly, the judge ruled in Andrew’s favor, allowing James to be uprooted from his Indiana home to move to California with his father.
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on MTV.