Honey Boo Boo became a reality TV sensation when she stole the show on Toddlers & Tiaras - but her life has been full of controversy. Real name Alana Thompson, the child star was just five-years-old when she first burst onto out screens alongside her wild family in 2011.
Alana began competing in beauty pageants at a young age and was supported by mother June Shannon, better known as 'Mama June'. The pair were so well received bu audiences that they received their own spin-off show on TLC called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. However, the series was cancelled in 2014 after two years - leading to a downward spiral for the family.
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Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was cancelled after four seasons after June was seen with registered sex offender Mark Anthony McDaniel, who had previously served ten years in prison after being convicted of aggravated child molestation.
After briefly getting her own show after ditching McDaniel, June abandoned her family and spiralled into drug addiction, splashing £2,000-a-day on crack cocaine.
Alana moved in with her older sister, Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Efird, and was devastated when June sold the family house to fund her lifestyle.
Opening up about her mother's drug use during her interview with Teen Vogue in August last year, Alana explained: "A lot of folks in this world do not realize how many people are actually really affected by drug and alcohol [use].
"It's very, very hard. It's something I'd wish on nobody, for real. When my mama got real bad with her [drug use], I didn't know where I was going to end up. I'm proud of myself for how far I've come."
Ahead of her 16th birthday, Alana also opened up about growing up and growing out of the 'Honey Boo Boo' persona.
"I guess people still expect me to be little Honey Boo Boo and I'm not anymore," she said.
"Just because I'm from the south, people expect me to be all country bumpkin, out riding four-wheelers all the time, but that's not really how it is."
In October 2018, Alana took part in Dancing with the Stars: Juniors in the UK and was paired with Tristan Ianiero - and mentored by former Strictly Come Dancing pro Artem Chigvintsev.
In September last year, it was reported that Alana was dating college student Dralin Carswell, who lives in Georgia near his girlfriend.
It was claimed that Alana's sisters approved of the match despite the four-year age gap and Dralin had become like one of the family.
"He's very loving for sure," Alana told E! News in July last year. "He's very affectionate at certain times. There's a lot of stuff about him that I like. I'm very, very happy."
Mama June first lost custody of Honey Boo Boo in 2019 after she and former boyfriend, Geno Doak, 49, were arrested on drug charges.
Alana was at the centre of a heated legal battle between mother June and her older sister, Lauryn, but in June this year a decision was made.
A judge in Georgia has granted Lauryn sole custody over Alana, with visitation rights being decided by her too.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Mama June is allowed to contact her daughter by phone every day - and she will also have to pay Pumpkin $1100 per month in child support until Honey Boo Boo turns 18.
Testimony from the hearing, which ended in April, revealed teen reality TV star had already been living with her older sister Lauryn and her husband, Josh Efird, 25, since 2019.
But she has made appearances on June's TV show - Mama June: Road to Redemption - which sees the matriarch trying to stay sober while her family falls apart.
Alan shocked her social media followers in July this year by posting a makeover snap with heavy make-up and long fake eyelashes - looking very different to her child star days.
Last month, it was announced that Alana is undergoing a big weight-loss procedure as she failed to achieve the results she wanted from just dieting and increasing exercise alone.
Alana, who turns 17 today, is having a £11K Suture Sculpt procedure, which sees a suturing device inserted into the patient's throat and down to the stomach which is then sewed to make it smaller
Suture Sculpt is done endoscopically (through the mouth) and a sleeve is created by folding the stomach with sutures, so there are no cuts or scars with patients typically to seeing a 20% loss of their total body weight within 12 months on average.
Because of her age, sister Lauryn had to sign off on the procedure and Alana has enlisted Dr Steven Batash to help her go from 275lbs to 150lbs at his New York based Weight Loss Center.
Alana is worried her weight is genetic and has already seen Mama June struggle with her weight before opting for a bariatric (aka gastric bypass) surgery in 2016.
But she appears to know that the Suture Sculpt is not a 'fix all solution' and she will still need to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.
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