Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Family Photos From Her Childhood Paint a Different Story Than ‘The Act’

Misc

Apr 18, 2019 6:48 pm·

By Chelsea Duff

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In the latest episode of The Act, we finally got a peek into what life was like for a young Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Or did we? The show focused on a younger Dee Dee Blanchard seemingly raising her daughter alone — or occasionally with the help of her mother, Emma Pitre, or a cousin. But where was Gypsy’s father, Rod Blanchard? Though his character didn’t make it into the episode, he was very much a part of her daughter’s life, especially growing up. Gypsy’s step-mom and Rod’s wife, Kristy Blanchard, spoke exclusively with In Touch about her daughter and their family and even shared some family photos. Check out the gallery below to see what Gypsy’s childhood with her family was actually like.

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Dee Dee Blanchard, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, and Rod Blanchard with Family

Rod wasn’t an absent father.

Though the show paints Dee Dee as doing everything by herself, that’s not the case. She was a single parent, but Gypsy’s dad was very involved in her life — and so was his wife and their two children. “We get ridiculed a lot from people that are on social media,” Kristy said. “[The show] is gonna make it ten times worse. … It’s just adding more fuel to the fire for those type of people. One more dig on Kristy. One more bashing on Rod.”

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Gypsy was loved by both her parents.

Though her mom likely suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, now known as factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), both of her parents were part of her life. Though Dee Dee had primary custody, both helped care for her.

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And she had little siblings.

Rod and Kristy have two kids of their own, a son named Dylan and a daughter named Mia. Though Dee Dee kept Gypsy isolated from her family, they still played a role in her life.

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard With Dad and Brother

Dee Dee monitored their communications, though.

Kristy says when they would call, Dee Dee would frequently instruct Gypsy on what to say before speaking to them. “[Gypsy would] get groomed before she would talk to us on the phone,” Kristy told In Touch. When Dee Dee answered the phone, she’d frequently tell Rod or Kristy that their daughter was sleeping and she’d call back in a few minutes. That gave her the time to coach Gypsy on how to respond to their questions.

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard with Dad Rod and Brother

It happened a lot on holidays and birthdays.

Gypsy was instructed on how to answer what she wanted for her birthday or on other gift-giving occasions: “Nothing but love.” Kristy said, “I can’t tell you how many times that child told me that. And then Dee Dee would call and say, ‘Oh, she wants a Wii.’ Or, ‘She wants a TV.’ And we shipped it. And Dee Dee would be [like], ‘Oh, look what mom got you.'”

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Dee Dee lied to Rod and Kristy.

And she lied about them, too. In one story they heard about years later, they discovered Dee Dee had told her neighbors that Rod and his family hadn’t taken well to attending the Special Olympics with her and Gypsy. “Dee Dee told everybody that Rod said, ‘Oh, we need to get out. These are a bunch of freaks.’ Never has Rod ever said that. We went and supported Gypsy.”

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Her brother, Dylan, was particularly excited about the day.

“Dylan was young, he’s three years younger than Gypsy, and he was just so proud of his sister,” Kristy shared. “It was a proud moment for him, like, ‘Look at my big sister! Look what she’s doing!’ Dee Dee told this to people in the neighborhood. ‘Yeah, [Rod] came, but he told us it was a freak show.’ No, we did not say that. We would never say that.”

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Young Gypsy Rose Blanchard And Her Brother

Dee Dee drove the family apart.

“[Dee Dee] would [be like], ‘Oh yeah, come, come visit.’ And the day before, two days before, radio silence. No contact. They wouldn’t contact us ’til we were here. And Rod and I had to see Mia cry, ‘But I want to see my sister. I want to spend time with my sister.’ And that’s when we were like, ‘Enough’s enough.’ We have tried so many times and that was our last attempt.”

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Now, they can finally be close.

When she was younger, Gypsy “didn’t know” that her family loved her. “She didn’t know that she could call us. She didn’t know. She thought we wanted to have nothing to do with her. Dee Dee made it impossible, very impossible, for her to reach out,” Kristy said.