Gypsy-Rose Blanchard was a national star as a child by the year 2005. Her physical appearance and media image was shocking to many, and was what gained her and her mother attention and sympathy. Gypsy seemed to be bald, practically toothless, and looked very sickly overall, causing a rally of support for the young girl. But the truth behind it all proved to be very shocking and gruesome.
Starting at just three months old, Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s mother Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard diagnosed Gypsy with an array of serious medical issues. Throughout Gypsy’s tragic childhood, Dee Dee claimed that Gypsy suffered from leukemia, muscular dystrophy, asthma, and brain damage that prevented her mental capacity from growing. Dee Dee set up her child in a wheelchair and displayed her to the public as a young child who needed saving, but there was nothing wrong with Gypsy to begin with, and she was older than she appeared.
Dee Dee continued to subject her daughter to a variety of surgeries and procedures the girl did not need, some of which including the removal of her salivary glands, the insertion of a feeding tube, and other painfully gut-wrenching operations. Gypsy was forced to endure this relentless abuse for most of her formative years, as speaking up would earn her a great deal of backlash. Suffering in silence for years while being portrayed as a helpless little girl, Gypsy finally put an end to her abuse on June 14, 2015.
Gypsy and now ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn met on a Christian dating site sometime in 2012 when Gypsy was 20 years old. The two continued a bizarre and explicit relationship online before beginning to conspire the murder of Gypsy’s mother, Dee Dee. The murder took place in the Blanchard residence, with Gypsy letting Godejohn into the home after her mother was already asleep. To spare the gruesome details, Gypsy hid in the bathroom while Godejohn carried out the crime. The two then fled, but were taped on several security cameras, and eventually were caught after a location was tracked from their facebook posts.
Both Gypsy and Godejohn faced trial, with Gypsy receiving a plea bargain of second-degree murder. Gypsy accepted the plea bargain and faced 10 years in prison. Godejohn, however, was found guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action, facing life in prison. Gypsy’s story soon got out, and the public was shocked to hear of the abuse that Dee Dee inflicted upon the famous sickly child. Gypsy’s case evoked sympathy, but the same cannot be said about Godejohn despite his severe mental illnesses.
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard was released three years early from prison Dec. 28, 2023, starting the new year as a free woman. When talking to ABC News about being a victim of her mother’s Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, Gypsy says “I didn’t want her dead. I just wanted out of my situation. And I thought that was the only way out.”
Going into 2024, Gypsy is a married woman who is ready to start her life over. Regaining her social media, Gypsy’s followers quickly increased significantly. “There is this massive amount of support. And I appreciate that. But I’m dealing with a lot of self-guilt and regrets myself. So it’s a battle going on in my heart and in my mind.”