Late '16 & Pregnant' Star Valerie Fairman 'Loved' Her Daughter 'More Than Anything!'
Jan. 4 2019, Updated 10:26 a.m. ET
For the latest Teen Mom news subscribe to our podcast 'Teen Mom Time' below!
Valerie Fairman suffered from drug addiction for years before her tragic suspected overdose death this week— but she never stopped fighting for the sake her daughter, Naveah. “Valerie loved her child more than anything or anyone, the 16 & Pregnant star’s close friend Karla Bowers exclusively tells RadarOnline.com.
As MTV fans know, Fairman, now 23, was just 15 years old when she became pregnant in a 2010 episode of the hit series. Sadly, her baby daddy Matt broke up with her while she was expecting. But she was focused on being a doting single mother.
Fairman soon became wrapped up in drugs, and was even arrested on prostitution charges in February 2015. Though her brother claims her parents had custody of Naveah, now 7, in recent years, the little girl was never far from her mind. “She always talked about her baby girl,” Bowers insists. “How beautiful she was, how much she loved her.”
When Bowers learned her friend had died, she knew immediately it was simply a tragic "accident". "She would never leave her child," she says.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Fairman checked into rehab at least twice and even lived in a recovery house earlier this year in her fight to get clean.
Her friend doesn’t want fans to remember her as a druggie or a prostitute. "She was a daughter, sister, mother, and friend," Bowers says. "She was somebody."
According to her brother Robert Rivera, Fairman died in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, where she was living at the time. "She appeared in the right mindset," Rivera says. "But the struggle was always there."
Though she had periods of sobriety, her friend alleges she slipped in recent months. She lost the struggle on Wednesday night.
MTV released a statement about the tragedy: "Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time."
Teen Mom stars Jenelle Evans and Chelsea Houska have also responded to their friend’s death. "Rest easy angel," Evans wrote on Instagram.
Keep reading RadarOnline.com for the latest news on the tragedy.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at 800-344-9598 any time, day or night.