Honey BooBoo's Mum Defends Daughter's New Relationship

The former pageant contestant is all grown up, set to turn 17 this summer and currently dating her first boyfriend, 20-year-old Dralin Carswell,

Although the couple have been together for 'over a year', they've received some criticism from fans over the four-year age gap.

In an interview with TooFab, Alana's mum June defended the relationship and stood by her daughter's decision - despite their frayed relationship.

She said: "Yes, I've met Dralin. They've been together for over a year. People need to realise that she's going to be 17 in August and that Pumpkin [Alana's sister] and Josh were the same age as they were."

Alana's older sister Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Shannon was a regular on the family's TLC show Here Comes Honey BooBoo, where she was seen dating her now-husband Josh Efird.

Mama June continued: "She is getting a lot of hate because she's in an interracial relationship, he is older. But at the end of the day, Alana's not that 6,-7-year-old child y'all fell in love with 11 years ago. Alana has grown up, she's graduating high school next year, guys!"

In April, Alana became Instagram official with her new boyfriend, sharing some photos they took together in the park wearing matching outfits. However, the reality star has since avoided sharing any snaps from her relationship after coming under fire, and turned off the comments on her first post.

Alana has also spoken out about the reaction to her relationship, telling People in November: "I feel like so many people still look at me as that little girl that very first came on TV.

"Even when the posts about me and my boyfriend coming out, I feel like there was so many people that were still treating me like I was 6 years old."

Mama June is set to return for a new season of her own reality series Mama June: Road To Redemption, which deals with the mum's journey toward sobriety and reuniting with her family.

After the last season wrapped rather dramatically with Mama June being arrested for possession of a controlled substance, Pumpkin became the family matriarch, taking in 16-year-old Alana.

A trailer for the new season sees Pumpkin trying to raise her own family with Josh while dealing with Alana and Dralin in her home now too.

The drama just never stops!