Although she endured horrific abuse from her late mother, Clauddine ‘Dee Dee’ Blanchard, Gypsy Rose Blanchard says the experience taught her what not to do with her future children.
Gypsy Rose notably suffered from Munchausen by Proxy. This is a mental illness and a form of child abuse done by a caregiver. They make up fake symptoms or even cause real symptoms to make it look like a child is sick. Dee Dee told everyone that Gypsy Rose had suffered from multiple illnesses. She also said Gypsy Rose was at the mental capacity of a seven-year-old because she was born prematurely.
In 2015, Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn planned to murder Dee Dee for Gypsy Rose to escape the abuse. Godejohn stabbed Dee Dee repeatedly while she slept in her and Gypsy Rose’s Springfield, Missouri home. Gypsy Rose then left the home with Godejohn with $4,000 in cash. They were eventually caught and were charged with murdering Dee Dee.
During the trial, Gypsy Rose pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her involvement in the murder. After seven years, Gypsy Rose was granted parole and she left prison on Thursday, Dec. 28.
While in prison, Gypsy Rose married Ryan Anderson, a Louisiana special education teacher. He had written her a letter in 2020 and the couple grew a relationship from there.
“Ryan has seen me through some really good times, some really hard times,” she told PEOPLE. “I would say that he is probably the most compassionate soul that I’ve ever met, and the most patient. God knows, he’s so patient with me because I could be a lot to handle. I could be an emotional handful.”
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Reflects on the Lessons She Learned From Her Abusive Mother
While opening up about her marriage to Anderson, Gypsy Rose Blanchard spoke about the lessons she learned while enduring her mother’s physical and emotional abuse.
“Whenever someone says, ‘Do you think that because of what you went through, you’re going to do that to your kids?’ I say, ‘You know what? Absolutely not.’” Gypsy Rose explained. “I have learned what not to do. I have no concerns about my parenting when it comes to that.”
She then spoke about her marriage to Anderson and said she doesn’t see any major hardships for them. “I think this, being in prison, has been the hard part. I think when I’m at home with my family, with my husband’s arms around me and I’m surrounded by my loved ones, that is when I will be happy.”
Gypsy Rose is appearing in the upcoming six-hour Lifetime docuseries The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. The series airs on Jan. 5, 6, and 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.