She burst onto screens as a sassy child pageant queen on TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras. Yet 15 years on from finding fame, Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson’s life couldn’t look any more different, with the reality star swapping pageantry for pediatrics while she trains to be a children’s intensive care nurse. It’s quite the turnaround for the boisterous young girl who made her name through loving the limelight and her plan to eventually become Miss USA. She famously earned her nickname after making the spontaneous one-liner ‘a dollar made me holler, honey boo boo!’ resulting in her becoming a fan favourite and landing her own reality show with her family. These days, her sister Lauryn ‘Pumpkin’ Shannon is earning a living on OnlyFans, while her mother ‘Mama’ June Shannon stars in her own spin-off series. Meanwhile Alana is studying nursing at Regis University in Denver and working as a Patient Care Technician in pediatrics at a local hospital in Colorado. Now, as Alana celebrates her milestone 21st birthday on Friday, the Daily Mail reveals how she went from reality star to healthcare professional. Inside Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson’s incredible transformation from child pageant queen to pediatric nurse as she marks her milestone 21st birthday on Friday She burst onto screens as a sassy pageant queen on TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras, earning her her nickname after making the spontaneous one-liner ‘a dollar made me holler, honey boo boo!’After becoming the breakout star of Toddlers & Tiaras, her own series, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, launched in 2012. The TLC series followed Alana and her family as she competed in the fierce world of pageantry, and despite receiving negative reviews from critics, it proved to be a ratings hit. However, the show came to an abrupt end in 2014 following claims that Mama June was dating a convicted child sex offender. Mama June was said to have rekindled a relationship with Mark McDaniel, 53, who was jailed for ten years for the abuse of her daughter Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell, when she was eight.The reality star also dated Michael Anthony Ford, the father of her daughter Jessica ‘Chubbs’ Shannon, who was later jailed for two years for the sexual exploitation of a child in 2005.Three years after the show’s cancellation, Mama June landed her own series, From Not To Hot. It was later rebranded as Mama June: Family Crisis after she descended into a spiralling addiction to crack cocaine, provoking a furious rift with her children that played out dramatically in the headlines and on television.Mama June ultimately went on the wagon and her relationship with Alana has mostly mended – though they were seen on reality TV last year fighting about Alana’s child star earnings, $30,000 of which June confessed to spending on herself.Alana then pulled back the curtain on her upbringing in her 2025 Lifetime biopic, telling People: ‘I did not want this movie to be throwing punches at my mama and making her out to be the bad guy. ‘But I didn’t hold back and if she gets mad, at the end of the day it’s the truth.’Join the discussionHas Honey Boo Boo’s dramatic journey from reality TV fame to healthcare inspired you or raised questions about the impact of childhood stardom?What’s your view? After becoming the breakout star of Toddlers & Tiaras, her own series, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, launched in 2012.(L-R) Lauryn Efird, Alana, Jessica Shannon and June Shannon in March The family were also dealt another devastating blow when Alana’s sister Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell, died in December 2023, at the age of 29 after a battle with stage four adrenal cancerOne of the flashpoints of their checkered relationship was Mama June’s drug problem, which Alana began noticing as she entered her teen years.’I noticed something was off about her. She started locking her doors which really made me think: “Oh, what is she doing?”‘ remarked Alana.The issue exploded into the public eye when June and her husband Geno Doak were arrested and charged with felony drug possession, triggering a rollercoaster drama that ripped the family apart on reality TV.Alana ended up being raised by her older sister Lauryn ‘Pumpkin’ Efyrd and brother-in-law Josh Efyrd, who were granted legal custody in 2022. She then had to go to school and face remarks like: ‘I saw your mama on the news with a busted tooth, strung out,’ to which she would reply: ‘Great, like I didn’t see that too’.Mama June eventually got sober and is now married to one Justin Stroud, whom she met in rehab in 2021 while getting her addiction under control.Alana candidly acknowledged that she found it ‘hard’ to forgive her mother for their turbulent past but eventually managed to rebuild their relationship.She noted that ‘at the end of the day, she’s my mom. When she was bad in her addiction I just kept thinking about the day she’d recover. We’re going pretty good. Hopefully it lasts. I just no longer have any expectations for her.’Meanwhile June said of her own troubled past: ‘I don’t remember who that person was, because I’ve worked so much on myself.’The family were also dealt another devastating blow when Alana’s elder sister Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell, died in December 2023, at the age of 29, after a battle with stage four adrenal cancer. Amid her cancer treatments, Anna was able to watch her little sister graduate from high school and died at home surrounded by her loved ones. In a tribute, Alana penned: ‘I’m so glad that you waited til I was home to take your last breath!’I would’ve loved for you to get to see me graduate college but i know you will forever cheer me on in heaven! We will all make sure your legacy lives on forever. And i promise to always make sure to celebrate our birthday like you never left!’The sky looks a little bit different today. We will always love you Anna. You hit me hard with his one Anna but i know your in a better place now and pain free forever! [sic].’ Alana is in a relationship with Dralin Carswell, who she met in 2021 through mutual friends and revealed she wants to start a family – but wouldn’t want to put them on TV For now, Alana is studying nursing at Regis University in Denver – set to graduate next year – and working as a Patient Care Technician in pediatrics at a local hospital in Colorado Alana has thrown herself into studying, previously telling Teen Vogue: ‘I want to be the best I can be, and I want to make my money, and I also want to make straight A’s, so I just try my hardest.’However, she admitted she struggled to keep up with the lifestyle that fame brought her but had moved on from her Honey Boo Boo persona, and was fully working on embracing herself.She added: ‘I would say that I do like this Alana now, rather than the younger Alana.’Alana is in a relationship with Dralin Carswell, who she met in 2021 through mutual friends and revealed she wants to start a family – but wouldn’t want to put them on TV. After being subject to unfounded pregnancy rumours, she revealed: ‘I want to have kids eventually. I don’t want to have a lot of kids, I want maybe two, that’s it, but not for a long time.’I’ve been in the spotlight for so long, I’ve just seen all the hate that I got when I was younger. I don’t know if I would want to put my kid through that. I might just wait until they get old enough to make that decision for themselves.’For now, Alana is working on her nursing ambitions, and is set to graduate college next year. She previously told Teen Vogue: ‘I just always told myself you know that you want to do something better with your life and bigger with your life than just being on TV. ‘So you’ve got to get up and go, you’ve got to graduate so you can make it to college and be the nurse that you want to be…’I love that I’ve persevered past who people thought I was.’