Gypsy Rose Blanchard is free from prison. She already has over 3 million followers on Instagram.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard has posted her first selfie to Instagram since becoming a free woman.

"First selfie of freedom!," she captioned the image that received over four million likes and 198,000 comments.

The 32-year-old spent eight years in prison following her involvement in the murder of her mother Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy had persuaded an online boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to kill her mother.

The case grew international attention after it was revealed that Dee Dee had essentially kept her daughter prisoner, forcing her to use a wheelchair and feeding tube. Dee Dee had forced Gypsy to pretend for years that she was suffering from serious illnesses.

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A post shared by Gypsy-Rose Blanchard-Anderson (@gypsyrose_a_blanchard)

Investigators determined that Dee Dee had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.

Following her mother's murder, Gypsy accepted a plea bargain agreement in 2016 for 10 years and the charge of second-degree murder.

Despite being in prison, Gypsy said her years behind bars were constructive and she was "thriving". She also received her high school diploma, studied photography and found a new sense of autonomy.

"The prison that I was living in before, with my mum - I couldn't walk. I couldn't eat. I couldn't have friends. I feel like I'm freer in prison than living with my mum. I guess now I'm allowed to just live like a normal woman," she explained.

Now this week, Gypsy has been released from prison - and she's ready for her next chapter.

Watch: Gypsy Rose Blanchard speaks to Dr Phil. Post continues below.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's life now.

Perhaps the biggest change to Gypsy's life is that she is a married woman now, and has been since June last year. Gypsy and Ryan Scott Anderson - a 37-year-old special education teacher from Louisiana - married in June 2022, as per the wedding certificate.

When Gypsy was released from prison, it was Anderson who was waiting for her. News outlets did take note of the car he was driving - specifically the car's license plate. Anderson had a wrestling-themed Bret Hart plate that read "HITMAN."

Gypsy Rose Blanchard Picked up From Prison by New Husband, a Wrestling Fan with 'Hitman' Hart License Plate https://t.co/dpzIiRh9Qf

— People (@people) December 28, 2023

Speaking with PEOPLE this week in a joint interview, Anderson said the pair were originally pen pals before they began a long-distance relationship. He said that he started communicating with Gypsy in 2020, after making a bet with one of his colleagues.

"My co-worker at the time was like 'I want to write Tiger King'," he recounted, referring to convicted felon Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado whose case rose to fame on the Netflix show Tiger King.

"I said, 'I'll tell you what, if you write him, I'll write Gypsy Rose Blanchard. I never thought she'd be my wife."

After exchanging emails for a while, and then speaking on the phone, Anderson said he felt sympathy for what Gypsy had gone through and he said he started feeling "butterflies". Gypsy felt the same.

"My husband Ryan has been an emotional backbone for the last three years. Ryan has seen me through some really good times, some really hard times. I would say that he is probably the most compassionate soul that I've ever met, and the most patient," Gypsy said to PEOPLE recently.

"God knows, he's so patient with me, because I could be a lot to handle. I could be an emotional handful."

Gypsy Rose reveals she eventually wants to start a family with husband Ryan Anderson. pic.twitter.com/lQWMg6qK9n

— Gypsy Rose Updates (@GypsyRoseUpdts) December 28, 2023

Gypsy has also managed to build a stronger relationship with her birth father, who she says she didn't get to see during her childhood - mostly due to Dee Dee. 

Her father, Rod Blanchard, and her stepmother had been by her side throughout the criminal case, and said they were looking forward to continuing the relationship outside of prison too.

"We email each other. She can call me anytime and she does. I'm keeping tabs on all of her accomplishments in school. She's getting her GED," Rod Blanchard told Fox. "It's wonderful. I can't wait for her to get out so we can build on that foundation that we started here."

Although Rod said he wanted his daughter to wait until after her release to get married, he does support her union with Anderson.

The correctional centre that Gypsy was imprisoned in didn't allow for conjugal visits. The couple has told news outlets they look forward to "consummating the marriage" and even starting a family. Gypsy did note that she looks forward to being a mother, but not treating her kids anyway near how she was treated by Dee Dee.

"It's hard because I'm going into a new life and I'm newly married, and I'm going to have kids one day, and I'm going to have to explain to my kids why their grandmother on mummy's side isn't around. And that's going to be a really hard conversation," she said this week.

"Nobody will ever hear me say I'm glad she's dead or I'm proud of what I did. I regret it every single day. She was a sick woman and unfortunately I wasn't educated enough to see that. She deserved to be where I am, sitting in prison doing time for criminal behaviour."

To mark her return to life outside of prison, a docuseries about Gypsy's life will also be released.

Lifetime's The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard will air in January. Gypsy says it's an opportunity to "finally get to use my voice, to share my story and speak my truth" as a "survivor of child abuse".

Her husband Anderson will also feature in the docuseries.

"I think this, being in prison, has been the hard part. I think when I'm at home with my family, with my husband's arms around me and I'm surrounded by my loved ones, that is when I will be happy," Gypsy said.

This article was originally published on December 29, 2023, and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Instagram/@gypsyrose_a_blanchard.

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