Amanda Bynes engaged to boyfriend she 'met at rehab'
One day after announcing her surprise engagement in a cryptic Instagram post, former child star Amanda Bynes has revealed the identity of her mystery fiancé.
On Sunday, the 33-year-old shared a photo of herself with a man wearing a blue checked shirt and black glasses which she captioned, “Lover”.
Showbiz site The Blast has confirmed Amanda’s husband-to-be is Paul Michael from the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.
The She’s The Man star and Paul - who is said to be aged in his 20s - have been dating for about two months after meeting at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) classes, the publication claims.
Paul’s father is a prominent doctor in LA and his brother has reportedly appeared in a reality TV show about fixing cars.
Amanda Bynes engaged
Amanda, who hosted her own comedy sketch show on Nickelodeon for four years, posted a close-up snap of her hand sporting a huge engagement ring on top of her new partner's hand on Saturday.
“Engaged to tha love of my life (sic),” read the caption.
“She seems happy,” an insider told PEOPLE of the ‘smitten’ bride-to-be.
According to The Blast, Amanda can't legally get married at the moment as she remains under her parents Rick and Lynn’s conservatorship which prevents her from entering into any contract - including a marriage license - without their approval.
Amanda’s health battles
Amanda has been open about her past struggles with addiction and mental health issues which saw her take an indefinite break from her thriving acting career in 2010.
In 2018, she gave an exclusive interview to Paper magazine where she talked about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2014 as well as her history of drug abuse, including marijuana, ecstasy, MDMA and Adderall.
At the time of the interview, she claimed she had been sober for four years following several legal issues in 2012 which included charges for a DUI, driving with a suspended licence and two counts of hit-and-run.
In 2013 she allegedly started a fire in her neighbour’s driveway and was subsequently placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold. The following year, she claimed that her father Rick had sexually abused her but later retracted the accusation.
Rick and Lynn were granted conservatorship of their daughter’s affairs in 2014, and the order will remain in place until August 2020.
Also in 2014, Amanda began studying at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and graduated five years later.
After her Paper Magazine interview, however, Amanda reportedly suffered a ‘stress-induced relapse’ and returned to a mental health facility. She was granted a ‘day pass’ to attend her June 2019 graduation but immediately returned to the facility to continue treatment.
Two months prior to her graduation, Amanda's lawyer Tamar Arminak told reporters that the actress was on the road to recovery ahead of her planned comeback to the entertainment industry.
“I can tell you she's doing remarkably well, under the circumstances. This time around, she knew herself, after the Paper Magazine interview spread, that she really wasn't feeling like herself, all of the sudden. She wanted to address it right away before going back into showbusiness and exploring showbusiness again,” she said at the time.
On New Year’s Eve last year, Amanda sparked concern with a new heart-shaped face tattoo after reportedly checking herself out of the LA sober living facility where she had been living in since January 2019.
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