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Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s estranged husband, Ryan Scott Anderson, is opening up about their breakup, which will be shown to viewers on “Gypsy Rose Blanchard: Life After Lockup.”
Extra’s Melvin Roberts sat down with Ryan, who revealed that he hasn’t seen Gypsy since the pair had a “difference” and Gypsy left, though they’ve kept in contact.
Gypsy and Ryan split up in March, just three months after she was released from prison.
Anderson said that her divorce and reconciliation with ex-fiancé Ken Aaker happened so suddenly and that she is still in a “state of shock”.
“Gypsy and I, our love for each other remains the same,” he says, “but despite all that’s happened, our problem wasn’t love.”
He added: “I’m still processing, reflecting, trying to piece things together. Just trying to pinpoint it. There’s really no one answer.”
“We were married and everything was going well and then all of a sudden we weren’t married and we stopped seeing each other,” Ryan claimed.
He likened it to a “snowball” effect, explaining that it “just got bigger and bigger and it became unstoppable. It’s depressing.”
Anderson refused to reveal what their big argument was about, saying only that it was “ramblings.” When asked if Ken was also involved in the conversation, he said, “Possibly.”
Ryan denied that Gypsy was carrying on an affair while he was dating Ken. “It’s not what people think,” he said. “There were other things going on.”
He also claimed that “it was another influence that kept pushing Ken towards her… He thought someone was supporting us and wanting us to fail.”
Ryan revealed that he only found out about her interactions with Ken after she left. “I confronted her about it and she told me the truth,” he said.
He said: “I’ve seen them together. I’ve seen pictures. A lot has happened.”
Mr Ryan also denied ever being physically threatening or overly aggressive towards Ms Gypsy.
“I have never physically threatened Gypsy and she knows that,” he claimed. “She said so. She is not afraid of me and has no reason to be.”
He acknowledged the disagreement, saying, “Gypsy said some hurtful things and I was angry. I was upset. When she says something when you’re going through something so hard, it’s hard to hear. It’s hard to hear. As for me shouting in her face, if that’s what she heard and felt, I hate it.”
He continued, “Nothing happened like my friend said it did. It was just a disagreement and it just snowballed from there. Gypsy suffers from PTSD from what her mother did. I triggered the trauma that night and she ran away. It was one of those incidents that I witnessed and as it happened I immediately stopped to check on her and by that point it was like the fight or flight response of PTSD had already kicked in.”
Mr Ryan said claims he controlled her were “absurd”.
He said, “I don’t agree with that at all. Anyone who knows Gypsy knows she won’t be controlled. Anyone who knows Gypsy knows she will do what she wants, when she wants. Look at what she’s done.”
Ryan addressed the incident where he allegedly didn’t let Gypsy swim: “It was in February when she wanted to go swimming. It was the middle of winter and the pool was closed…. That was the only time I told her no, and the reason was because we were both sick and if we went swimming she would get pneumonia. But that’s the only reason they insist I was in control,” he said.
Anderson said the past two months have been tough, but noted the importance of “getting back on my feet and getting back on track.” “I had to keep living,” he said.
Ryan said he’s been receiving love and support from his family, friends and his dog, Pixie, during his grief. “In the documentary series, you’ll see how I got Pixie and all that,” he said. “She’s a beautiful dog. But I got her.”
Ryan says he still loves Gypsy, but would he want to get back together?
He responded: “That’s a difficult question to answer, given everything that’s happened. My pride and ego get in the way. A lot has happened. There will be a lot of steps that need to be taken.”
“My love for Gypsy has never gone anywhere. It’s still there. You know, I married her. But it would be difficult… I don’t think that conversation will ever happen. Really. Who knows?”
When asked if he had any regrets about the relationship, Ryan replied, “My intentions were pure and genuine and I was there for Gypsy, so in terms of regrets, I don’t really have any regrets myself.”
Of the fact that some people may think they know who Ryan is, he said: “People are going to make all kinds of judgments and assumptions, and that’s tough for me to hear because I’m just a regular guy who fell in love with Gypsy Rose Blanchard.”
Anderson also spoke about the beginning of their relationship, which began when he wrote her a letter and included his email address.
“She reached out to me and that’s where it all began,” he recalls. “Emails turned into phone calls and that’s how it all started.”
Ryan was captivated by Gypsy’s voice, saying, “It’s very unique, but I also love her laugh. She could make me laugh and I could make her laugh. We still have that connection… I love laughing with her.”
After meeting over the phone, the two met in person a year and a half later, while she was in prison. He said: “We met once and decided we wanted to be serious, and it just grew from there. It wasn’t something I wanted, it just happened naturally.”
Anderson noted that there was a “good emotional connection” between the pair and that the decision to marry was not made in haste.
If they had stayed together, they would have celebrated their second wedding anniversary next month.
“Gypsy Rose Blanchard: Life After Lockup” airs Mondays on Lifetime.
