3 weeks ago
Gypsy Rose Blanchard shared a long history with boyfriend Ken Urker—the dad of her 21-month-old daughter Aurora—before his death at 33 on Oct. 1.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Gives Postpartum Update After Welcoming First Child With Boyfriend Ken Urker
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is weathering an unimaginable tragedy.
The Life After Lock Up star's boyfriend Ken Urker died on his 33rd birthday on Oct. 1 in Louisiana, the Lafourche Sherriff’s Office confirmed to E! News.
In addition to their 21-month-old daughter Aurora, Blanchard and Urker shared a long history spanning back to her days in prison, when she was serving time for the 2015 murder of her mom Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard.
The pair first connected in 2017, when he wrote to her in prison after watching Mommy Dead and Dearest, the HBO documentary about Blanchard's complicated relationship with her late mother, who allegedly suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy syndrome.
"We became fast friends," Blanchard recounted in a 2019 interview with E! News. "It was pretty soon after that that we started talking on the phone. We would spend hours on the phone. I talked to him like I had known him my whole life and vice versa."
Their initial chemistry was so strong that Urker proposed in 2018, popping the question with a "silver band" that Blanchard said was later confiscated by prison guards. But as Blanchard continued to serve her prison sentence, their romance fizzled out.
By the time Blanchard was freed in 2023, she was married to Ryan Anderson—a special education teacher she met through prison correspondence—for over than a year. Still, Blanchard had Urker on her mind, with her admitting to Anderson on the first season of Life After Lock Up that she had spoken to her ex-fiancé three weeks before their wedding.
"It's one of those things where it's like, 'Do I worry that she'll leave me for him?'" Anderson said at the time. "I do feel second fiddle."
Blanchard and Anderson eventually called it quits in 2024, with her reuniting with Urker soon after the breakup.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
"Ken and I have kept a friendship this whole time," Blanchard told E! News that year. "It wasn't until I filed for divorce that I kind of really realized that that spark, that connection [with Urker] is even better than I expected."
As for why they were giving their relationship a second chance? "We've grown a lot. I've matured. He's grown," Blanchard explained. "Right now is the time in our lives that it's the right time, right place, right everything."
For a closer look at Blanchard and Urker's life together, read on.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
"The One"
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Origin Story
The couple, who got engaged in 2018, even managed to create a festive atmosphere while Gypsy was incarcerated.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
What She Said
They split up in 2019 but, as Gypsy noted, fate would come back to find them...
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
On the Outside
While Gypsy went on to tie the knot with teacher Ryan Anderson in 2022, she filed for divorce after less than two years of marriage. She and Ken reunited in the spring of 2024.
"We are together and in a wonderful place in our relationship," she told TMZ on April 30. "We know it is going to be a long road ahead but are excited for the future."
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Sunnier Days Ahead
Cloudy skies couldn't put a damper on the rekindled pair's mood.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Cozying Up to Ken
Gypsy likes it when this Ken is all up in his feelings.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
He Makes Her Laugh
Whatever he said had Gypsy beaming.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Cheese
Smiling for the camera.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard/Instagram
Scenes From a Romance
Gypsy Rose shared a collage of some of her and Ken's most adorable moments a few weeks before revealing she's pregnant with their first child together.
She noted that their baby was scheduled to be due in January 2025.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
It's a Girl
The two celebrate at their sex reveal party for their baby in August 2024.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Date Night
Before they become a family of three, Gypsy and Ken dined at a table for two during their September 2024 date night.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Romantic Getaway
The parents-to-be take a trip to California, including Marina Del Rey, that October.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Making Memories
And while Gypsy noted on Instagram the view of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge was "incredible," she added, "the company made it unforgettable."
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Selfie Time
The duo sport their shades in this sunny snap.
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