Amber of 'Teen Mom' Opens Up About Attacking Baby's Dad

USMagazine, Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 5:24am (PDT)

"Teen Mom" star Amber Portwood tells the new Us Weekly that she's facing her serious anger issues head on.

Fans of the MTV show were shocked by the Sept. 28 episode, in which an enraged Portwood, 20, punched, kicked and screamed at Gary Shirley, her on-and-off fiance and father to daughter Leah, 23 months.

"A lot has changed," Portwood, now in couples counseling with Shirley, tells Us Weekly. "I haven't hit him since that fight." (Local authorities in Anderson, Ind. reportedly launched an investigation after the incident aired, and MTV broadcast a domestic violence PSA during commercial breaks.)

The reality star says she tries to avoid watching her violent outbursts onscreen (she attempted to choke Shirley in one episode last season).

"When I see myself in that position, it really opens my eyes," Portwood says. "I want to stop it, because I don't want to be like that."

Toward that end, she's working with a counselor "on how to calm down when things happen," she reports. "We are getting close to finding a solution...If I get mad, I always try to think about Leah and how an [outburst] will affect her."

How will she explain her televised violent behavior to her little girl? "I will teach Leah that what I've done wasn't right."

Things with Leah's dad are up in the air, she confides. They started dating other people on the season finale and she tells Us, "I do love this man ... but if we keep fighting then we can't move forward."

Read more of our exclusive interviews with all the "Teen Mom" stars in the new Us Weekly, out today. In it, Catelynn defends her mom, Farrah says she's not ready to date yet and Maci's ex Ryan is "starting to be a father."

RELATED ON WONDERWALL:

Check out these chic celebrity moms

BFF moms and daughters

Find out how celebs spend their family time

RELATED ON USMAGAZINE.COM:

PHOTOS: Famous TV moms

PHOTOS: A-list babies

PHOTOS: Who's going to be a mom next?

VIDEO: Teen Mom's Catelynn gets in spat over adoption with mom