Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the woman at the center of a high-profile case of murder and alleged Munchausen syndrome by proxy, is speaking out about her mother’s mental illness and her own path to forgiveness.
In an interview with People magazine, Gypsy Rose opened up about her mother’s alleged Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental illness and form of child abuse where a guardian makes up illnesses in order to get sympathy. She stated that she is “really, really trying to come to a place of forgiveness for her, for myself and the situation.”
Gypsy Rose’s mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, convinced people that her daughter had a slew of medical problems which were not real. This led to Gypsy Rose and her then-boyfriend, Nick Godejohn, hatching a plan to murder her mother. Gypsy Rose was released from prison last week on parole after serving eight years of a 10-year sentence for the 2015 stabbing death of her mother.
Speaking about her mother’s alleged treatment of her, Gypsy Rose said, “Maybe it was like an addict with an impulse, and that it was not consciously malicious. And I think that helps me with coping and accepting what happened.”
Gypsy Rose also revealed that her mother was diagnosed with bipolar and schizophrenia when she was younger, but was not taking medication for those conditions. She believes that if her mother had been on her medication, “maybe things would’ve been different.”
Gypsy Rose’s story will also be featured on Lifetime’s upcoming show “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard,” which airs starting Jan. 5.
Gypsy Rose’s interview with People magazine sheds light on the complex and tragic circumstances of her life, and her journey towards forgiveness and understanding.