Gypsy Rose Blanchard spent much of her life telling herself that she was several years younger than she really was. As a result, she didn’t learn how to use a tampon until she went to prison, when she was already in her 20s, she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.
Gypsy, who was a victim of Munchausen by proxy, pleaded guilty to murdering her mother Dee Dee Blanchard in 2015. She was released from a Missouri prison on December 28. Dee Dee, who in her lifetime convinced people her daughter was terminally ill, is said to have subjected Gypsy to painful medical treatments that were never necessary and lied about her age.
“It wasn’t the typical, ‘OK, I’m going to take you to the store and we’re going to get you a practice bra, we’re going to get you pads and tampons,'” Gypsy tells PEOPLE of her upbringing. “There was none of that. So it was very abnormally learned, and unfortunately, I had to come to prison with skills that [Dee Dee] he taught me, which wasn’t much.”
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Prior to her release, Gypsy also sat down with Lifetime for their upcoming documentaries Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchardwhich premieres on January 5th at 8pm Eastern.
In the series, Gypsy says that Dee Dee made her wear a diaper during her period. When she arrived at the prison, Gypsy had to learn more about her body.
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“[In prison] I hang out with women who have been around for a quarter or two and have a lot of life experience,” he tells PEOPLE. “Maybe it’s not the best life experience, but I was able to draw some positives from being around other prisoners.”
The upcoming docu-series also features other claims by Gypsy, including that she was abused by her grandfather as a child, which her grandfather denied. However, he shockingly claimed that the 4-year-old gypsy tried to touch him in inappropriate places.
After her release from prison last Thursday, Gypsy was picked up by her husband Ryan Scott Anderson, whom she married in 2022, while she was still behind bars.
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Anderson told PEOPLE he planned to make Gypsy gumbo as part of a “romantic night out” after her release.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the crisis line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education