The murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, mother of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, is once again back in the news, as Gypsy-Rose has just been released from prison after serving eight years for second-degree murder. A new Lifetime TV special about the story is set to air in the US next month and Gypsy-Rose also has a memoir coming out, detailing her story in her own words for the first time.
After growing up in an abusive household, that saw her subjected to repeat unnecessary medical interventions owing to munchausen-by-proxy, in 2015 Gypsy-Rose met a man, Nicholas Godejohn, on a Christian dating website, and the pair plotted to kill Dee Dee. Godejohn was later found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Now, Gypsy-Rose is now out of jail and is starting life over with her husband, Ryan Anderson, who she met and married whilst incarcerated in Chillicothe State Prison. But who is Gypsy-Rose Blanchard's husband, Ryan Anderson? And how did the pair meet?
Who is Ryan Anderson, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard's husband?
Ryan Anderson is a teacher from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who married Gyspy-Rose Blanchard whilst she was serving part of a ten-year sentence for second-degree murder (later reduced to eight years).
During her time in prison, Ryan appeared to visit her regularly, posting updates on his social media account. "I surprised my wife with one last visit before she comes home in 79 days #Gypsy&Ryan #teamgypsy," he wrote in one.
Speaking with People ahead of her release, Gypsy-Rose said she was looking forward to starting her life over with Ryan. "I know the home that I'm going home to is with my husband, and I'm going to have a really supportive family dynamic. I think that that's what I've been missing this whole time."
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She added that Ryan is patient and allows her to speak openly about her feelings, providing a listening ear whenever she needs.
How did Gypsy-Rose Blanchard meet her husband?
The pair first got to know one another after Ryan wrote to Gypsy-Rose in 2020, during the pandemic. He told People magazine that he was inspired to do so after a colleague informed him of their plans to write to Joe Exotic, the also imprisoned star of Tiger King.
"I said, 'I'll tell you what, if you write him, I'll write Gypsy Rose Blanchard.' And I had watched her documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, like three years before that," Ryan explained. "And then The Act [a dramatised version of the Blanchards' story] had came out and I've never watched The Act, but I remember my friends talking about The Act and I was like, I'll watch the documentary again. So it was kind of fresh on my mind."
After firing off an email and not expecting to hear anything back in response, Ryan was shocked to soon receive a reply from Gypsy-Rose, who apparently was drawn to the fact that he was from Louisiana and enjoyed hearing about his relationship with his nephew. Their written messages then evolved into regular phone calls.
It was a full year before the pair met in person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic seeing restrictions put in place at the prison.
Some two years after Ryan sent that first email, on 21 July 2022, the couple wed in an intimate prison ceremony with no guests present.
Gypsy-Rose later said in an interview that they plan to have a big party and to redo the ceremony when she once again has her freedom, but added that it'd be "mostly for everybody else" rather than the two of them. It is also said that they hope to have a family together one day.
Does Ryan Anderson have Instagram?
Yes, he does – or at least there's a profile with his name that is followed by Gypsy-Rose's account, that uses the handle @ryan_s_anderson_.
The bio for the account reads: "My name is Ryan Anderson. I'm from Louisiana. I'm married to the most wonderful, most beautiful woman in the world, Gypsy Rose Blanchard..."
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
