Gypsy Rose Blanchard says mother Dee Dee's murder was 'the only way out' and claims she was high on prescription painkillers when she ordered boyfriend Nick Godejohn to stab her in first interview since her release
In her first interview since her release from prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard says the murder of her abusive mother Dee Dee was the “only way out” of years of Munchhausen proxy abuse.
Gypsy, now 32, was 23 when she ordered her boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to stab her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, to death. She had endured years of abuse from her mother, who falsely claimed she suffered from a range of diseases, including leukemia and muscular dystrophy.
Dee Dee shaved the gypsy's head, forced her into a wheelchair, had some of her teeth removed and paraded her as a sickly child at charity events.
In July 2015, Godejohn stabbed Dee Dee fourteen times in her bedroom at her family home in Springfield, Missouri. He and Gypsy were immediately arrested and both were sentenced to various prison terms in the following years.
In an interview with ABC which was partially broadcast Good morning America today, Gypsy said she was addicted to prescription painkillers when she and Godejohn, whom she met online, fabricated Dee Dee's murder.
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In her first interview since her release from prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard says the murder of her abusive mother Dee Dee was the “only way out” of years of Munchhausen abuse.
Clauddine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard told the world that her daughter was terminally ill
'I don't think my mother was a monster. She had many demons of her own that she struggled with.
'I didn't want her dead, I just wanted to get out of my situation and I thought that was the only way out.
“I share my story as a warning so that the next person who might find themselves in a situation like mine will not follow the route I did.”
She said she was “high” when she ordered Godejohn to kill her mother, and had developed an addiction to pain medication.
“This is really hard to talk about because it took me down a very dark path. But I felt like this was the only way to deal with it for a while.
'I don't blame the drugs, I don't blame anything. I don't make excuses. Now I'm sober, I haven't used for four years and I don't feel the need to.'
Godejohn remains behind bars serving a life sentence, while Gypsy was released on December 28.
She and Anderson settle into their new life in Louisiana.
Asked if it was fair that Godejohn had to remain behind bars while she walked free, Gypsy said: “I'm sure we both deeply regret it.
“All I can say is that I did my time, he does his time in turn and I wish him a good journey.”
'I had to kiss some frogs': Gypsy Rose with new husband Ryan Anderson in their first interview
Gypsy Rose and husband Ryan Anderson leave their hotel after spending their first night together following her release from prison
Dee Dee told the world that Gypsy was disabled and suffered from leukemia, muscular dystrophy and other diseases
As a child, Gypsy's mother forced her to undergo unnecessary surgeries and even had dentists remove some of her teeth
While behind bars, Gypsy married Ryan Anderson, who had written to her. The couple now lives together
She is banned from contacting Godejohn – whose lawyers continue to fight for an appeal – while he is behind bars.
His lawyers filed their final appeal this week following Gypsy's release.
In 2022, while still in prison, Gypsy married Ryan Anderson.
Since her release, the pair have showcased their romance on social media, drawing praise from fans but harsh criticism from others.
She has defended him from critics and says they are happily “enjoying” their lives now.
'Of course I feel conflicted. Fame isn't what I'm looking for. I always said I was infamous, but then I came out famous.
“I'm a very shy person, I don't do anything that someone else wouldn't do,” she said today in response to questions about their newfound fame on social media.
In their 2015 mugshots, Gypsy Rose and friend Nicholas Godejohn, who is behind bars, left
Gypsy was 23 when she was arrested on murder charges. She is shown in court in 2015
The couple plans to start a family sometime in the future, she added.
In a 2019 prison interview, Godejohn said he wished he had run away with the gypsy instead of killing her mother.
In a 2019 prison interview, Godejohn – who is autistic and had previous offenses for indecent exposure when arrested in 2015 – said he wished he had never committed the murder.
'If I had to change anything at all, one of the obvious ones is of course that I would have run off with Gypsy. I don't want to be left with a murder on my hands.
'To be labeled a murderer… I don't want to stay there, but I have to live with it.
“I just want everyone to know that I'm not this cold killer who has no feelings. I am a human being.
“People make mistakes,” he told Oxygen in a documentary.
Since her release, Gypsy has also accused her grandfather of sexually abusing her as a child.
He insists it was the other way around, claiming she tried to touch him from the time he was four, and he always rejected her advances.