Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Ex-Fiancé Got Matching Husky Dog Tattoos as Symbol of 'Strong Bond,' Says Cousin (Exclusive)
PEOPLE confirms that Blanchard and ex-fiancé Ken Urker met up in the days after Blanchard announced her separation from husband Ryan Scott Anderson
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Gypsy Rose BlanchardGypsy Rose Blanchard's and her ex-fiancé Ken Urker got matching husky dog tattoos together, Blanchard's cousin, Bobby Pitre, who owns the parlor that the pair visited, confirms to PEOPLE.
TMZ was the first to report the pair's matching dog tattoos.
"It was matching Husky dog tattoos. A symbol for their strong bond," Pitre wrote in a text to PEOPLE.
PEOPLE previously confirmed that Blanchard and Urker met up for lunch and tattoo appointments in the days after Blanchard announced her separation from husband Ryan Scott Anderson. But Urker's mom, Raina Williams, says the pair are just good friends.
"They are not back together," Williams tells PEOPLE. "They're very cool. Ken is just being a supportive friend to her and that's it."
Williams says that after news of Blanchard's separation broke, Urker wanted to be there to support Blanchard.
"I know that after she announced the separation, he was like, 'I've got to be there for her,'" Williams says. "I said, 'Be very careful with that. She's a married woman and you don't want to hurt her.' And he's like, 'You're right. I would never do that. I would never ever do that. I will be super careful.'"
Urker and Blanchard were previously engaged before she tied the knot with Anderson, a Louisiana school teacher, in a prison ceremony in 2022. (Blanchard told E! Online in 2019 that she became engaged to Uker in 2018.)
"My son has never had any kind of ill intentions towards Gypsy," Williams adds. "It devastated him when they broke up the first time. But he truly thought that was what was best for Gypsy."
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Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 for conspiring to murder her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn. Blanchard was released in 2023 after serving eight years. Godejohn, who carried out the murder of Dee Dee, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
In an interview with PEOPLE ahead of Blanchard's early prison release in December 2023, her dad, Rod Blanchard, opened up about his daughter's marriage.
“Personally, I give it a 50/50 chance that it's going to work,” he said at the time. “She can be spontaneous and make a quick decision and just jump into things without thinking."
Rod also shared his feelings on the couple moving in together directly after her prison release.
"I wish she would have came home here and when her being on parole was over, live with him, just live with him, learn him," he said. "She's grown, and she was told what to do all her life. We wish she wouldn't have, but like I told her, if it doesn't work out, I'll be there to help pick up the pieces. I really do hope it does work out. Ryan's a great guy. He loves her for all the right reasons."
In Lifetime's 2024 docuseries The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Blanchard revealed that she was still in contact with Urker in the weeks leading up to her wedding with Anderson, and she admitted to still having feelings for Urker.
Related: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Announces Separation from Husband 3 Months After Prison Release
Blanchard announced her separation from Anderson on social media last week.
"People have been asking what is going on in my life. Unfortunately my husband and I are going through a separation and I moved in with my parents home down the bayou. I have the support of my family and friends to help guide me through this. I am learning to listen to my heart. Right now I need time to let myself find… who I am," she wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE from her private Facebook account.
"I follow Gypsy just as Ken does, and I think she's a sweet girl," Williams says. "I think she's made her mistakes, and she's trying to learn from them like anyone else. I care a lot for Gypsy. I want to see good things happen for her."
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