Now that Gypsy Rose Blanchard is free, she is opening up about her life and her late mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, like never before. The 32-year-old — who was released from prison on December 28, 2023 — described which of the unnecessary surgeries she was forced to undergo left her with the most side effects in her adulthood.
During her interview with PEOPLE that was published on December 31, Gypsy revealed that the most difficult procedure was “to remove two salivary glands behind my neck.” She pointed out that her body “didn’t respond very well to the anesthesia,” which, in turn, made her recovery “really, really hard.”
“To this day, it has left me with the side effects of having to clear my throat all the time,” she noted. “So, I’m always, if you hear me, that is a constant thing that I’ve had ever since. And it annoys people to no end. It’s because my saliva is very thick and so I’m always having to clear my throat. So, it’s been a negative side effect for me. And the reason why I had that surgery is because my mother had put [Orajel] on my gums to make me drool at the appointment and complain to the doctor that [I drool] too much.”
Throughout her childhood, Gypsy was raised to believe that she was suffering from various medical conditions. Dee Dee would subject her daughter to various surgeries that she did not need. In 2015, Gypsy’s then-boyfriend, Nicholas “Nick” Godejohn fatally stabbed Dee Dee in her sleep while Gypsy Rose hid in the bathroom. The pair then tried to run away until they were eventually convicted. Nick was sentenced to life in prison, whereas Gypsy Rose was sentenced to 10 years behind bars for her role in the murder of her mother.
Gypsy Rose, however, managed to get an early release from prison last week, having served eight years. She recently celebrated the new year with her husband Ryan Anderson. Although her story has already gripped the public over the years — and has been the basis for different film projects such as The Act — Gypsy Rose is detailing her full life story in Lifetime’s upcoming special The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, which airs on January 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
“As a survivor of relentless child abuse, this docuseries chronicles my quest for liberation and journey through self-discovery,” Gypsy Rose is heard saying in the trailer. “I am unapologetically myself and unafraid to expose the hidden parts of my life that have never been revealed until now.”