Gypsy Rose Blanchard's rollercoaster ride love life laid bare as she announces her separation from husband Ryan Anderson - from the boyfriend who killed her mother to the man who reached out in prison after watching her documentary

The tragic story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard has captured the attention of the country - and the world - but this week, it took another painful turn as she revealed she and husband Ryan Anderson had split.

It's the latest heartbreak in the 32-year-old's rollercoaster love life after she was sentenced to eight years in prison for persuading her ex to kill her mom. 

After spending the first 20 years of her life enduring needless medical procedures and being pumped full of drugs, Gypsy thought she had finally found a way out when she met Nicholas Godejohn through a dating app in 2012.

Disney-obsessed Gypsy was convinced that her Prince Charming was going to swoop in and rescue her from her evil mother - but what she believed would be her happily ever after was really just the beginning of a new dark chapter in her life.

The harrowing story is one that we all now know well: Gypsy was forced to spend her childhood posing as a wheelchair-bound invalid after mom Claudine, known as 'Dee Dee,' convinced the world she was suffering from leukemia and muscular dystrophy.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard was forced to spend her childhood posing as a wheelchair-bound invalid after mom Claudine, known as 'Dee Dee,' convinced the world she was sick

She desperately searched for love for years, but in 2022, it seemed as though she had finally found the one when she married a man named Ryan Anderson (seen)

After years of abuse, Gypsy burst free of her warped mom's control in 2015 by convincing her besotted internet boyfriend, Nick, to creep into their Springfield, Missouri, home and stab 48-year-old Dee Dee to death. 

Gypsy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her involvement in the murder - but she was granted early parole last year after friends and family begged authorities to take into account the cruel trauma that she endured while being paraded at charity events and fundraisers.

But in the latest tragic twist to Gypsy's story, she announced this week that she and her husband were going their separate ways after less than two years of marriage

While behind bars, Gypsy continued to desperately search for her soulmate. She dated numerous men - many of whom she connected with after they sent her fan mail, and one who was 20 years her senior - but each one ended in heartbreak, leaving her convinced that she may never find the one.

During an interview from behind bars, the felon broke down in tears as she recalled a time that her mom put a 'hex' on her after she tried to sneak out in the middle of the night to see a guy she had met at a convention.

She said Dee Dee performed a bizarre ritual, taking some of her menstrual blood and a cow's tongue and burying them in a jar in their backyard while telling her: 'You will never find love. You will never be happy.'

'I just think it's true because like, every time I get close to someone, they leave me,' Gypsy said between sobs at the time.

'I always bring it back to that curse, I believe it's true. She never wanted me to find love or be happy, and I just kind of feel like that stuck.'

From the start, Gypsy's outlook on love was skewed thanks to her mother. 

Dee Dee did everything in her power to keep Gypsy to herself; she would tell people that she had 'mentality of a child' even though there was nothing actually wrong with her brain, and she even went as far as to lie to Gypsy about how old she really was.

As Gypsy confirms the heartbreaking news, FEMAIL has recapped her rollercoaster ride love life from start to finish - from the boyfriend who killed her mother to her recent split

Gypsy had very little access to the outside world or the internet, and her mom would constantly put on kids movies and fairytales for her, causing a warped view on relationships and men. 

But it seemed as though the Munchausen by proxy victim's dream of finding love had finally come true in 2022, when it was revealed that she had tied the knot with a special ed teacher named Ryan Anderson.

He stood fiercely by her side when she was released from prison in December of last year, and the two couldn't stop gushing over one another online and in interviews in the months that followed. 

But in the latest heartbreaking twist to Gypsy's story, she announced this week that she and her husband were going their separate ways after less than two years of marriage.

As Gypsy confirms the heartbreaking news, FEMAIL has recapped her rollercoaster ride love life from start to finish - from her first romance, which resulted in Dee Dee chaining her to a bed for weeks and putting a curse on her that she still believes is affecting her now, and the boyfriend who killed her mother so they could be together to her numerous prison relationships and recent split.

Her haunting first experience with romance: Gypsy tried to run away with a man she had met at a convention, but her mother caught her, chained her to the bed for weeks, and put a 'voodoo hex' on her

Gypsy's first real experience with romance came in 2010 after she met an older man named Dan at a convention and attempted to run away with him. She's seen with her mom

Gypsy began to think about boys during her teenage years, but her mother did her best to shut those thoughts down.

Gypsy (seen with her mom) explained that at the time, her mom was telling her that she was only 15 years old, but after finding her Medicaid card and discovering her date of birth was listed as 1991 - which made her 19 - she became determined to escape

'She would show interest in different boys and try to ask me advice on how do you approach them, how to you kiss a boy,' her neighbor, Aleah Woodmansee, previously told ABC News.

'[But Dee Dee would say], "My daughter has the mentality of a child and you're talking to her about teenage girl things."'

Gypsy's first real experience with romance came in 2010 after she met an older man named Dan at a convention and attempted to run away with him.

Gypsy explained in the Lifetime docuseries The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard that she and Dan first crossed paths at VisionCon in Springfield, Missouri.

She later reached out to him on Facebook and the two struck up an online relationship.

Gypsy explained that at the time, her mom was telling her that she was only 15 years old, but after finding her Medicaid card and discovering her date of birth was listed as 1991 - which made her 19 - she became determined to escape.

She hitchhiked to Dan's house in the middle of the night with the hopes that they'd start a new life together - but she soon found out that he couldn't leave the state because he was on parole

Dee Dee eventually found Gypsy and took her back home, and Gypsy claimed that she chained her to the bed for two weeks as punishment

She then decided to run away in the middle of the night and hitchhiked to Dan's house, with the hopes that they'd start a new life together - but she soon found out that he couldn't leave the state because he was on parole.

She also said her mother put a 'voodoo hex' on her after the incident, which involved putting some of her menstrual blood, a cow's tongue, and photos of her and Dan into a mason jar and burying it in their backyard

Dee Dee eventually found Gypsy and took her back home, and Gypsy claimed that she chained her to the bed for two weeks as punishment.

She also said her mother put a 'voodoo hex' on her after the incident, which involved putting some of her menstrual blood, a cow's tongue, and photos of her and Dan into a mason jar and burying it in their backyard.

'You will never find love. You will never be happy,' Gypsy recalled Dee Dee telling her.

The convicted felon added in the docuseries, which premiered back in January, 'I just think it's true because like, every time I get close to someone, they leave me.

'I always bring it back to that curse, I believe it's true. She never wanted me to find love or be happy, and I just kind of feel like that stuck.'

Meeting her Prince Charming: Gypsy connected with Nick through an online Christian dating site and they started planning their wedding almost immediately

Gypsy (seen during her childhood) met Wisconsin-native Nick through an online Christian dating site in October 2012, when she was 21 and he was 23

The two bonded immediately, with Nick telling ABC in 2018, 'It was almost like love at first sight. I just connected instantly with [her].' Gypsy is seen with her mom

Gypsy met Wisconsin-native Nick through an online Christian dating site in October 2012, when she was 21 and he was 23.

According to reports, Nick was diagnosed with autism as a child and struggled with mental health issues.

In March 2015, Nick traveled over 600 miles across the country so that they could meet in person for the first time. They created a lengthy plan in the hopes that he could impress Dee Dee and win her over. Gypsy is seen with Dee Dee

Even so, the two bonded immediately, with Nick telling ABC in 2018, 'It was almost like love at first sight. I just connected instantly with [her].'

They were soon constantly messaging on Gypsy's secret Facebook account, unbeknownst to Dee Dee, and from pretty early on, she was open about her situation.

'I need to tell you something. I'm no model… I have a medical condition so I can't walk, I have a chair I use, is that a issue?' one of her early messages to him read.

'Why would that be a problem? You are an angel in my eyes. It will never make any difference in how I see you from the inside out,' he responded. 

By 2014, Gypsy was already thinking about marriage and having kids with Nick, as her neighbor, Aleah, recalled, 'She said she was in love with and that they were already planning on their children.'

A love story that turned tragic: The pair eventually hatched the plan to kill her mother so that they could be together - and he stabbed Dee Dee to death in 2015

After the movie run-in, Dee Dee discovered that Gypsy and Nick had been talking online and erupted

Soon after, they formulated the plan to kill her mother. While discussing the murder, Gypsy (seen as a kid) said, 'It was not because I hated her. It was because I wanted to escape her'

While at first, Disney-obsessed Gypsy thought she had found her Prince Charming, who would rescue her from her mother, the relationship soon went from innocent to X-rated as it began to revolve heavily around sex - and Nick's BDSM kink.

'As [the relationship] progressed, things got weird,' Gypsy said in a 2017 HBO documentary, called Mommy Dead Dearest.

On June 9, 2015, Nick (seen in his mugshot) arrived in the middle of the night and stabbed Dee Dee to death while Gypsy waited in the bathroom

He also reportedly told her that he had 'multiple personalities,' so she began creating personas of her own and dressing in various wigs to appease him.

In March 2015, Nick traveled more than 600 miles across the country so that they could meet in person for the first time.

They created a lengthy plan in the hopes that he could impress Dee Dee and win her over.

They arranged it so that they would cross paths at the movie theater when Dee Dee took Gypsy to see the new Cinderella movie.

And while the scheme ultimately didn't work, they were able to sneak off and have sex for the first time in the bathroom.

After the movie run-in, Dee Dee discovered that Gypsy and Nick had been talking online and erupted.

'[It was] awful. She got jealous because I was spending a little too much attention on him, and she ordered me to stay away from him,' Gypsy told ABC. 

'That was a very long argument that lasted a couple weeks... Yelling, throwing things, calling me names like b***h, s**t, w***e.' 

The couple then fled to Wisconsin to Nick's parents' home; five days later, they posted a slew of horrific messages to Dee Dee's Facebook. The house where Dee Dee was killed is seen

Law enforcement eventually tracked the posts to Nick's home and arrested them; during initial police interviews, Gypsy denied her involvement while Nick confessed

Soon after that incident, Gypsy and Nick formulated the plan to kill her mother. 

Nick told ABC that it was Gypsy who had come up with the idea. He recalled her asking him, 'How badly do you want to be with me?'

'I said I would be willing to do anything for [her],' he added, claiming that she then replied, 'Even kill my mom?'

'At first, I freaked out. And she told me she was serious... because she wanted to be with me, and she said it was the only way to be with me,' he reflected.

'I asked her, "Are you willing to risk everything to have everything?"... And she said, "Yes. I want to marry you. I want to be with you. I want everything with you. I'm willing to risk everything if that means being with you for the rest of my life."'

While discussing the murder to ABC, Gypsy said, 'It was not because I hated her. It was because I wanted to escape her.'

Gypsy reported mailed Nick money to book a bus ticket and stole a knife from Walmart for him to use.

On June 9, 2015, Nick arrived in the middle of the night and stabbed Dee Dee to death while Gypsy waited in the bathroom.

'I heard her scream once and there was more screaming, but not like the kind in a horror film,' Gypsy recalled in the HBO doc.

'A startled scream… she called out my name about three or four times, at that point I wanted to go help her so bad, but I was so afraid to get up. And then everything just went quiet.'

Gypsy eventually plead guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She's seen during the trial

As for Nick, he was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

After the murder, Nick and Gypsy had sex, which he claimed was consensual and she claimed was not.

'I made a deal with him. I'd let him rape me and then he wouldn't do that to my mom,' she stated to HBO. 

Reflecting on the events to ABC in 2018, Gypsy said she believed Nick had taken advantage of her. She said: 'He was very much like my mother in certain ways'

The couple then fled to Wisconsin to Nick's parents' home; five days later, they posted a slew of horrific messages to Gypsy and Dee Dee's joint Facebook account.

'That b***h is dead,' one read, which was followed up with, 'I slashed that fat pig and raped her sweet innocent daughter. Her scream was so loud LOL.' 

It's been said that they posted the comments to ensure that the police discovered her body.

Law enforcement eventually tracked the posts to Nick's home and arrested them; during initial police interviews, Gypsy denied her involvement while Nick confessed. 

Gypsy eventually plead guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

As for Nick, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Reflecting on the events to ABC in 2018, Gypsy said she believed Nick had taken advantage of her.

She added: 'I feel like I was trained my whole life to do as I was told, and I feel like he wanted that for a girlfriend'

'He was very much like my mother in certain ways. Both of them were very controlling,' she said.

'I feel like I was trained my whole life to do as I was told, and I feel like he wanted that for a girlfriend.'

He insisted to the publication, however, that Gypsy was the 'mastermind' behind the murder, and that he felt 'betrayed' by her.

'I truly believed that she was, like, my soulmate. [But] she was basically the mastermind behind it all [and] I was basically a hired hit man in its own weird sense,' he stated.

'All the planning, she did every bit of it. She pretty much willed the knife in my hand to commit the deed herself. She is the mastermind behind the entire thing.

'As far as I'm concerned, she's as guilty as I am. I guess you could say my feelings got the best of me. I ended up loving someone way too much.

'I feel as if she's betrayed me. I feel that she's abandoned me. There is a part of me that will probably always love her, but she's hurt me so badly.'

In the recent Lifetime doc, Gypsy said that she was still riddled with guilt over what happened even now, almost a decade later.

'I'd do anything to just go back to that moment in time,' she shared. 'There was still a point that she didn't have to die and I wish I could have stopped it.'

Looking for love while behind bars: Gypsy dated a few men throughout her prison sentence, and got engaged to one, named Ken, who ultimately left her after her story was featured in The Act

During her time behind bars, Gypsy continuously searched for her soulmate, with a family friend telling In Touch in 2021 that she had numerous relationships over the years

In 2018, she became engaged to a man named Ken (seen together) after they became 'pen pals' in prison 

During her time behind bars, Gypsy continuously searched for her soulmate, with a family friend named Fancy Marcelli telling In Touch in 2021 that she had numerous relationships with different men over the years.

'They attached themselves to Gypsy, and a lot of them just want fame,' she said. 'One of the guys was 20 years older... Some of the guys have even gone to the prison to meet Gypsy.'

At the time, the friend said she was 'concerned' about Gypsy, and theorized that she 'just wanted somewhere to go once she gets out of prison.'

In her book Released: Conversations On The Eve Of Freedom, Gypsy recalled how one man named Ken - whose last name has not been revealed for privacy reasons - sent her a letter while she was in prison after he learned about what she had been through from the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest.

She said they became pen pals and eventually started dating before he popped the question in October 2018. 

'I thought he sounded like a cool guy, so I wrote him back,' she wrote in the memoir about receiving the first letter from Ken. 

'We became pen pals and started talking on the phone. He was easy to talk to, and we had so much in common.'

'The kiss he gave me was quite passionate. I looked at him and was like, "I didn't even know you liked me like that." And he said, "Yeah, I have for a while." And I'm like, "I have for a while too."'

But after the Hulu show The Act (seen) premiered a few months later and put an immense spotlight on Gypsy's story, she admitted that Ken couldn't handle all the attention

As for his proposal, she dished, 'This was something we had discussed for a while, so it wasn't out of the blue.

'We bounced around the idea, we have a pretty solid thing going and we're pretty sure this is what we want.

'So, he held my hands close and told me how much I meant to him and he's like, "I would really, really be honored if I could have your hand in marriage," and I said yes.' 

But after the Hulu show The Act - which starred Joey King as Gypsy and Patricia Arquette as her mother - premiered a few months later and put an immense spotlight on Gypsy's story, she admitted in her tome that Ken couldn't handle all the sudden attention. 

'I was transformed into a pseudo-celebrity,' Gypsy reflected of its release. 'My personal life became public, which was really hard on Ken. 

'Clickbait articles appeared mockingly announcing our engagement. Ken was a private person and didn't want the attention or the scrutiny.

'While I understood and shared in his sentiment, I took it hard when he ended our relationship.'

The felon described their breakup as her 'first heartbreak,' and admitted that it made her fiercely 'miss her mom.'

'My first experience with real heartbreak - I didn't know what to do. The rite of passage of losing my first love happened alone in jail instead of in my bedroom surrounded by girlfriends playing me a breakup mix and eating pints of Ben & Jerry's like in the movies,' she continued.

'It was a time when I missed my mom, a time that should've been shared between the two of us, but never would be.'

Family friend Fancy told InTouch about the romance, 'Ken wasn't in it for Gypsy - he saw her as a cash cow.

'She's had three more relationships with men [following her split from Ken]. We have a lot of concern for her because she doesn't know the real world. 

'She wasn't raised in the real world. She doesn't know how to deal with her trauma.' 

 

Another failed attempt at love: Gypsy married her prison pen pal Ryan in 2022 and he was by her side when she was released last year, but now, she has announced that they are going their separate ways

Gypsy bonded with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Ryan, after he wrote her a letter in 2020, and they spent 14 months writing each other back and forth before they finally met in person

And on his third visit to her correctional facility, Ryan, who worked as a special ed teacher, popped the question. Gypsy said yes, and they wed in July 2022 - while she was still in prison

Gypsy bonded with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Ryan, after he wrote her a letter in 2020.

'I had received hundreds of letters from supporters. A lot of it was male attention,' she explained to A&E last year.

'But I saw his envelope, and saw he was from Louisiana. And I was pretty much born and raised in Louisiana, so I thought, "Hey, I probably know where this guy grew up."

'I thought we would have a lot in common. At first it was more [of a] friendship. We spent tons of time talking on the phone. He would make me laugh any time I was sad. I loved that about him.'

They spent 14 months writing each other back and forth and talking on the prison phone before they finally met in person.

And on his third visit to her correctional facility, Ryan, who worked as a special ed teacher, popped the question.

Gypsy said yes, and they wed in July 2022 - while she was still in prison.

On the day of her release, Ryan was spotted by Gypsy's side (seen) - and the convict couldn't stop gushing over him during an interview with the Mirror days later

She admitted that they were in the midst of planning a massive wedding celebration after their low-key nuptials behind bars

The two briefly separated after the wedding, however, when Ryan found out that he had been in contact with her ex, Ken.

They ultimately decided to go to marriage counseling and worked through it, and it seemed like she had finally found her happily ever.

On the day of her release, Ryan was spotted by Gypsy's side - and the convict couldn't stop gushing over him during an interview with the Mirror days later.

She admitted that they were in the midst of planning a massive wedding celebration after their low-key nuptials behind bars.

'A re-do wedding with all our family there would be amazing. I want the classy, fairytale wedding that I always dreamed of as a child,' she dished.

'I think that Ryan and I deserve that for each other. I want a white dress that's a bit form-fitting, that flares at the bottom and has capped sleeves.'

When Ryan shared a selfie with her online days later, it sparked fierce backlash for the couple.

The snap was flooded comments from people who called him 'creepy' and 'weird' - but Gypsy was quick to hit back at his haters, while professing that the couple were madly in love and bragging about their sex life.

When Ryan shared a selfie with her online days later, it sparked fierce backlash for the couple - as the snap was flooded comments from people who called him 'creepy' and 'weird'

But Gypsy was quick to hit back at his haters, while professing that the couple were madly in love and bragging about their sex life

'Ryan, don't listen to the haters. I love you, and you love me,' she wrote in a comment. 

The couple (seen in January) has now announced that they are going their separate ways after less than two years of marriage

'We do not owe anyone anything. Our family is who matters. If you get likes and good comments great, if you get hate then whatever because THEY DON'T MATTER.' 

'I love you... besides, they're jealous because you are rocking my world every night…yeah I said it, the D is fire... happy wife happy life.' 

But the couple has now announced that they are going their separate ways after less than two years of marriage.

She wrote on her private Facebook account, per People, 'People have been asking what is going on in my life. 

'Unfortunately my husband and I are going through a separation and I moved in with my parents' home down the bayou.

'I have the support of my family and friends to help guide me through this. I am learning to listen to my heart. Right now I need time to let myself find… who I am.'