What happened to Gypsy Rose Blanchard and why did she go to prison?

The high-profile American criminal Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released on parole on Thursday (December 28) after serving seven and a half years in prison.

Blanchard, a Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) sufferer, 32, was jailed in the US in July 2016. She had pled guilty to second-degree murder for her part in the death of her mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard.

According to the NHS, Munchausen syndrome by proxy is where a person fakes or induces illness in a person under their care, such as their child.

Blanchard celebrated her newfound freedom on social media, sharing pictures with her sister and husband, and a video where she can be seen thanking her followers for their support.

The Act on Hulu dramatised the true story of Blanchard's case, with Joey King as Blanchard with Patricia Arquette as her mother.

So what led to Blanchard being jailed? Here's what we know.

Born in Louisiana in 1991, Blanchard was raised solely by her mother. When Blanchard was three months old, Dee Dee told doctors that she didn’t seem to be breathing properly.

In Blanchard's trial, a Missouri court heard that throughout her childhood, Dee Dee mistreated her both mentally and physically. This led everyone to believe that Blanchard was a terminally ill adolescent with the mental capacity of a seven-year-old.

For a long time, Blanchard believed this to be true. Despite her ability to walk, she was forced to use a wheelchair; prescribed unnecessary drugs; and had her head shaved to persuade their friends, family, and community that she had muscular dystrophy, leukaemia, and other illnesses.

The abuse didn't stop until 2015 when Blanchard's ex-boyfriend Nicholas "Nick" Godejohn killed her mother. Godejohn and Blanchard were found guilty of their roles in the killing and given prison sentences.

Blanchard received a 10-year prison term for taking part in her mother's murder. Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Blanchard said in a 2016 interview with Dr Phil McGraw she felt "complicated" about her sentencing. However, she wasn't sure what a "just punishment" should be given her circumstances.

Asked if he had any regrets, Godejohn said: "I would’ve done it again. I might have done it differently but I would’ve done it again. I couldn’t see [Gypsy Rose] suffer any more."

The case became the subject of the 2017 HBO documentary, Mommy Dead and Dearest.

Blanchard left prison on parole on December 28 2023, after she fulfilled the requirements for early release.

She completed 85 per cent of her sentence at Chillicothe Correctional Center.