Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and Boyfriend Ken Urker Open Up About Attending Couples Therapy to 'Improve' Relationship (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

From left: Ken Urker and Gypsy-Rose Blanchard.Photo:Gypsy-Rose Blanchard/Instagram

Gypsy-Rose Blanchard/Instagram

Gypsy-Rose Blanchardis opening up about her relationship withKen Urker.In their first joint interview since getting back together, Blanchard and Urker sat down with PEOPLE to discuss season 2 ofGypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up. The reality star, 33, reveals the two are still navigating their relationship and are currently in couples therapy, which she says has been helpful.“I like it because it gives an unbiased opinion,” she explains. “Because you don’t want to go to your family all the time to talk about the bad stuff. You never want to have anybody going, ‘Oh, I think…’ You don’t want their opinions to be changed or affected or a bias or anything.”“So it’s nice for us to have someone in the middle,” she continues. “They can see my side, they can see his side and give us an honest opinion about where we should go and how we could improve.”Gypsy Rose Life After Lock Up Season 2 Promo.LifetimeWhen asked if she sees herself being with Urker, with whom she shares2-month-old daughter Aurora, “forever,” Blanchard replies, “Absolutely.”“I’ve always felt that way about him,” she gushes.Although they met when Blanchard was incarcerated for her role in the 2016 murder of her 48-year-old mother,Dee Dee Blanchard, she says their feelings about one another haven’t changed since dating in the real world.“I mean, you get to know someone a lot better,” she notes of living under the same roof. “Because when we first met, we were both young. We were in our mid-twenties, so we grew up. Learning each other is almost like dating a new partner, but then it’s the old partner too.”She adds: “It just gives you more questions to ask, like, ‘Hey, I get to know you on a whole broader spectrum now.’ Whereas before, I was limited. We only had phone calls and a visit every couple months.”From left: Ken Urker and Gypsy Rose Blanchard.Ken Urker/InstagramBlanchard and Urker began talking as pen pals, with Urker writing to her after watching HBO’s 2017 filmMommy Dead and Dearest, which chronicled the abuse she endured at Dee Dee’s hands. They got engaged in 2018 but later cut things off, and Blanchard went on to marryRyan Anderson, with whom she lived after her December 2023 release.In the spring of 2024, however,Blanchard divorced Andersonandrekindled her romance with Urker. Theyannounced their pregnancya few months later in July 2024. Now, looking toward the future, Blanchard says they plan to continue working on their relationship as they enjoy parenthood.“I really just hope we continue to have open communication,” she shares. “I hope that we can get even more knowledge and let down our walls, because I’ve built walls over many years, and I think everybody has a set of walls that they put up. So I think it would be wonderful for us to bring those down and be the most vulnerable that we’ve ever been with each other. That would be my goal.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Upseason 2 premieres Monday, March 10 at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

Gypsy-Rose Blanchardis opening up about her relationship withKen Urker.

In their first joint interview since getting back together, Blanchard and Urker sat down with PEOPLE to discuss season 2 ofGypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up. The reality star, 33, reveals the two are still navigating their relationship and are currently in couples therapy, which she says has been helpful.

“I like it because it gives an unbiased opinion,” she explains. “Because you don’t want to go to your family all the time to talk about the bad stuff. You never want to have anybody going, ‘Oh, I think…’ You don’t want their opinions to be changed or affected or a bias or anything.”

“So it’s nice for us to have someone in the middle,” she continues. “They can see my side, they can see his side and give us an honest opinion about where we should go and how we could improve.”

Gypsy Rose Life After Lock Up Season 2 Promo.Lifetime

Lifetime

When asked if she sees herself being with Urker, with whom she shares2-month-old daughter Aurora, “forever,” Blanchard replies, “Absolutely.”

“I’ve always felt that way about him,” she gushes.

Although they met when Blanchard was incarcerated for her role in the 2016 murder of her 48-year-old mother,Dee Dee Blanchard, she says their feelings about one another haven’t changed since dating in the real world.

“I mean, you get to know someone a lot better,” she notes of living under the same roof. “Because when we first met, we were both young. We were in our mid-twenties, so we grew up. Learning each other is almost like dating a new partner, but then it’s the old partner too.”

She adds: “It just gives you more questions to ask, like, ‘Hey, I get to know you on a whole broader spectrum now.’ Whereas before, I was limited. We only had phone calls and a visit every couple months.”

From left: Ken Urker and Gypsy Rose Blanchard.Ken Urker/Instagram

Ken Urker/Instagram

Blanchard and Urker began talking as pen pals, with Urker writing to her after watching HBO’s 2017 filmMommy Dead and Dearest, which chronicled the abuse she endured at Dee Dee’s hands. They got engaged in 2018 but later cut things off, and Blanchard went on to marryRyan Anderson, with whom she lived after her December 2023 release.

In the spring of 2024, however,Blanchard divorced Andersonandrekindled her romance with Urker. Theyannounced their pregnancya few months later in July 2024. Now, looking toward the future, Blanchard says they plan to continue working on their relationship as they enjoy parenthood.

“I really just hope we continue to have open communication,” she shares. “I hope that we can get even more knowledge and let down our walls, because I’ve built walls over many years, and I think everybody has a set of walls that they put up. So I think it would be wonderful for us to bring those down and be the most vulnerable that we’ve ever been with each other. That would be my goal.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Upseason 2 premieres Monday, March 10 at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

source: people.com