(NewsNation) — Gypsy Rose Blanchard is “glad she went to prison,” according to her stepmom Kristy Blanchard.
“She (Gypsy) said she’s glad that she did go to prison because she would have probably stayed in that same pattern that her mom raised her to be,” Kristy Blanchard said Friday on “Banfield.” “With all the help and classes that she took, she now recognizes that. … She has grown so much. It’s unbelievable.”
Gypsy, now 32, pleaded guilty in 2016 to the second-degree murder of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. Gypsy’s then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, is serving life in prison for stabbing Dee Dee to death in 2015.
Kristy Blanchard spoke in her first national interview pending Gypsy’s release from prison, where she served over 7 years. Gypsy was sentenced to 10 years and is being released early Thursday.
Some experts think Gypsy, who attorneys say was isolated and abused by Dee Dee for years, may have been a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Gypsy was forced to use a wheelchair and undergo unnecessary medical procedures, her attorneys said.
Kristy Blanchard said she’s planning Christmas and a spa day for Gypsy.
“We’re going do Christmas, got a Christmas tree. Got her so many gifts. I went overboard, actually,” Kristy Blanchard said. “Oh, we’re also doing a spa day. … We’re going to go get her pedicure, manicure, facial, haircut, colored if she wants, you know, the works, bring her shopping. She can’t wait.”
NewsNation’s Caitlyn Shelton contributed to this report.