Disclaimer: The article contains mention of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Over the years, Gypsy Rose Blanchard‘s story has garnered widespread attention from news publications and people worldwide. Her post-prison life is the subject of an upcoming Lifetime docuseries titled Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup.
The 32-year-old spent eight years in prison for her involvement in her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard’s murder. Reports suggest that the mother-daughter duo lived in Springfield, Missouri, and their neighbors believed that Dee Dee Blanchard was a caring and responsible individual. They saw that Gypsy Rose Blanchard was suffering from various health issues for which she required a walker and a wheelchair. Furthermore, her mother always ensured she received timely medication and the best possible care.
On June 15, 2015, officials discovered Dee Dee Blanchard’s lifeless and bloodied body in their Springfield house. Additionally, when her daughter was nowhere to be found, they believed that the 48-year-old’s killer had kidnapped her. Subsequently, they learned that Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her then-boyfriend, Nick Godejohn, were responsible for the tragedy. In addition, they go to know that Dee Dee Blanchard suffered from a psychological disorder called Munchausen syndrome by proxy. In this condition, the parent or guardian exaggerates or fabricates their child’s medical conditions. The court charged Blanchard with second-degree and Godejohn with first-degree murder. The latter will remain in prison for the rest of his life.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is currently dating her ex-fiance Ken Urker. According to People Magazine, Urker is 31 years old and belongs to a big family. The couple exchanged rings in October 2018, however, their relationship was never steady. Soon, the engagement ended, and Blanchard married a teacher named Ryan Anderson in 2022. Earlier this year, Blanchard revealed that she and her husband had parted ways.
How did Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Ken Urker meet?
Per People Magazine, Urker contacted Blanchard after watching the 2017 HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest. Reports suggest that he wrote her a letter of support, resulting in several back-and-forth letters between the pair. Eventually, they became friends and began talking for hours on the phone. In a conversation with E! News in 2019, she stated, “We became fast friends. It was pretty soon after that that we started talking on the phone. We would spend hours on the phone. I talked to him like I had known him my whole life and vice versa.”
Subsequently, the two met, and in their first-ever meeting, they kissed. Urker reportedly told Blanchard she was the first girl he told “I love you” to. In the same E! News interview, the 32-year-old said, “He came and it was kind of a funny story but within the first thirty minutes he leaned over and gave me the most wonderful kiss of my whole life. 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,’.”
Following Blanchard and her husband’s split, she got matching tattoos with Urker. He has four siblings.
