Young mums reveal the stories behind their babies on Brit version of American TV show Teen Mom
One of the 'stars' of the new MTV series has put off a place at university to take part, while another is worried about her impending celebrity status when getting a job
A BRITISH version of the US show that launched the career of Celebrity Big Brother loudmouth Farah Abraham is set to hit UK screens on MTV this Wednesday.
Teen Mom UK is an eight-part series that explores the lives of five teenage mothers from different backgrounds and areas of the UK.
The show has had a successful 12-series run in the US and already has a British fan base of 12million viewers.
Thousands of teenagers applied to be in the five-strong ‘cast’, with producers evidently hopeful its ‘stars’ will go on to become household names.
Promotional material from MTV claims the show will “educate viewers” about the gritty reality of teenage pregnancy and boasts the involvement of charities like Gingerbread (in support of single mothers) and Brook (which provides sexual health advice).
But are the makers of reality TV series like Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach, which glamorised excessive boozing and casual sex, best-placed to present a show that aims to challenge the stereotypes of teenage mothers?
And is taking part in such a programme really a “brilliant thing to have on the CV”, as one of the mothers of the teen mums pointed out?
One of its stars, Megan Salmon Ferrari, was an avid fan of the US version of the show and fell pregnant at 16 to a lad at her school called Dylan.
Her little boy, McKenzie, turned one on Saturday – but while the family adore their new addition, Megan’s parents were livid when they found out their daughter was expecting.
She and mum Sonia didn’t speak for six months and in the show Sonia makes her feelings about her daughter’s life choices candidly clear.
She openly speaks of her dismay that Megan has become “one of the girls in the town centre with the buggies and the snotty babies — the ones she said she never wanted to be”.
Sonia admits: “She’s on benefits, and that is not something I ever wanted for her. All this breaks my heart. I wanted better for her.”
But Megan insists she has no regrets, adding: “How could I have? McKenzie is everything.”
At the beginning of the episode Megan is heard declaring her relationship with her baby daddy is solid and they’re planning to get hitched.
But by the end of the show, hysterical Megan has moved out and back in with her mum, after asking Dylan: “How could you sleep with my best friend a day before you asked me to marry you?”
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Another teen mum, Amber Butler, turned down a place at university to appear on the show as she wouldn’t be able to take days off studying to do promotional work.
She told : “I’ve decided to hold off until next year. You never know where this sort of opportunity will lead.”
Her mum Amanda admitted: “I thought her life was over when she fell pregnant, but she has proved me wrong.
“Becoming a mum has been the making of Amber. She has two jobs. She finished college. She will go to uni, I’m sure of it.
“I’m really proud of her, and I want people to see that.”
Another teen mum, Naomi Konichova, had a child at 17 and isn’t working at the moment despite having just qualified as a make-up artist.
Clearly concerned about her impending celebrity status, she told how she doesn’t want “people coming up to me all the time” when she’s working if she gets a job once the show has finished.
Mia Boardman found out she was expecting daughter Marliya at 18 – on the same day her boyfriend Manley’s other girlfriend, Erin, was due to give birth.
While she and now dad-of-two Manley are back together, their relationship is shown to be on the rocks.
The teen mum who appears to have her head screwed on is Chloe Patton, who accidentally got pregnant at 17 when her pill was hindered by antibiotics.
She and boyfriend Jordan handled it maturely and now live with Chloe’s parents, working jobs and paying rent.
Chloe’s mother Sue said: “We are happy to give them a helping hand, but they are saving to get their own place.
“I’m really proud of how they have handled this.”
Teen Mom UK starts Wednesday 2 November on MTV.