Shivangi Sinha
Everyone deserves a chance at happiness, and the relationship between Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her husband, Ryan Anderson, embodies this hopeful sentiment. Gypsy’s life has been marked by extreme challenges, having been a victim of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy orchestrated by her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Faced with a seemingly inescapable situation, Gypsy resorted to plotting her mother’s murder, enlisting her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to carry out the act. Her story, including these events, is explored in ‘The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’ and ‘Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up,’ revealing her intense relationship with Ryan Anderson.
Gypsy and Ryan Started Talking While She was in Prison
During Gypsy’s 10-year sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri, she received a letter from a man named Ryan Anderson. Ryan had learned about writing to people in prison through his friend who had written to Joe Exotic of ‘Tiger King’ fame. Ryan had watched Gypsy’s story through HBO’s 2017 documentary ‘’Mommy Dead and Dearest’ and decided to refresh his memory by watching ‘The Act.’ Ryan expressed genuine curiosity to know more about Gypsy, and it was the honesty of his letter that stood out for Gypsy.
By May 2020, Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Ryan Anderson were engaged in constant email communication, even though Gypsy was previously engaged to another man named Ken. When her relationship with Ken ended due to the challenges brought about by the fame surrounding Gypsy, it was Ryan who became a pillar of support, helping her navigate the highs and lows of her life. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic added further restrictions to the prison system, but Ryan remained steadfast by Gypsy’s side, becoming a cherished support system whom she adored and loved.
By 2022, Gypsy initiated the process of seeking early parole, expressing hope for a prompt release from prison. She harbored anxiety about her upcoming hearing and, concurrently, her romantic involvement with Ryan. Ryan, a special education teacher at a middle school in Louisiana, frequently traveled to Missouri to visit Gypsy in prison. Residing with his mother, he played a role in raising his nephew. The two eventually decided to tie the knot, and on June 27, 2022, they obtained their marriage license.
Gypsy’s family, comprising her stepmother, father, and half-sister, were aware of her communication with a man named Ryan, but the news of her impending marriage to him came as a surprise to them. They approached this decision with apprehension, concerned about Gypsy’s ongoing recovery and having witnessed how the demands of Gypsy’s fame had previously strained her relationship with Ken. Ryan took the initiative to meet with them, reassuring them of his readiness to face the challenges ahead.
Ryan expressed his intention to secure a place of his own for both of them after Gypsy’s release from prison. In July 2022, they held a prison ceremony and decided to get married, feeling that the time was right for them. However, just three months into their relationship, a significant disagreement arose about Gypsy maintaining contact with her ex. An email from Gypsy, venting her frustration and hinting at the possibility of annulling the marriage, was leaked and garnered attention in the headlines.
Gypsy and Ryan are Now Divorcing
After the incident, Ryan came to realize the validity of the concerns raised by Gypsy’s family. However, he managed to reconnect with her, and together they surmounted this challenge, deciding that their path forward should be free from the interference of outsiders. Gypsy’s parole hearing worked in her favor, resulting in an early release on December 28, 2023. Both Ryan and Gypsy celebrated the New Year with Gypsy’s family in Missouri. They all watched the New Orleans Saints football game together, admittedly providing Gypsy with a sense of joy and fulfillment through wholesome family time after an extended period of upheaval in her life.
But alas, while Gypsy and Ryan were navigating the challenges posed by social media trolls with resilience, proudly showcasing their relationship and marital bond, things didn’t work out between them. They didn’t even get a change to organize the grand and lavish reception they’d planned for their wedding, initially believing they both deserved such a celebration considering the tumultuous life they have endured. In fact, they separated in March 2024, with the former filing for divorce a month later and rekindling her romance with her ex-fiancé, Ken Urker.
It was Gypsy’s stepmother Kristy Blanchard who’d reconnected them following her release from prison, but the former maintains they started out “as friends. It wasn’t like, jump out of a marriage and then let me meet up with you, and boom, we’re in a relationship. We had kept a friendship for the longest time.” Then she added, her marriage fell apart and she “let myself open up to the feelings that I’ve always had for Ken. Those feelings just don’t die.” It’s actually evident she’s happier than ever these days, especially as her partner is actually moving to New Orleans to be with her. As for Ryan, he now appears to be doing his best to move on from the past few years he has had.
