Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Breakups Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Estranged Husband Ryan Says He's 'Not Doing Well at All' Following Their Split Ryan Anderson said the separation "came out of the blue" for him By Brenton Blanchet Brenton Blanchet Brenton Blanchet is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. He has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Brenton's work has previously appeared in Billboard, Pigeons & Planes and Complex. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 6, 2024 03:18PM EDT Gypsy Rose Blanchard and estranged husband Ryan Anderson. Photo: Gypsy-Rose Blanchard-Anderson/Instagram Ryan Scott Anderson is "at a loss" following his split from Gypsy Rose Blanchard. The special education teacher and now-estranged husband of the Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard subject revealed to The Daily Mail on April 6 that he's "not doing well." Blanchard, 32, announced their separation on Facebook in late March — just three months after she was released from Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri, where she served more than eight years for plotting to murder her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, with then-boyfriend Nicholas "Nick" Godejohn. Blanchard has since met up with ex-fiancé Ken Urker, who PEOPLE has confirmed she got lunch — and matching dog tattoos — with this past week. "For me, it just came out of the blue," Anderson told The Daily Mail. "I had no idea she still had such strong feelings for him." "I haven't spoken to her, so I just don't know what's going on," he added. "I'm at a loss. I'm really not doing well at all." Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Ryan Anderson attend red carpet for "The Prison Confessions Of Gypsy Rose Blanchard" in January 2024. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Inside Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Troubled Marriage: What Went Wrong with Ryan Anderson? (Exclusive) Blanchard's close friend and tattoo artist Nadiya Vizier detailed the couple's split to PEOPLE this week, as she alleged that Anderson "got in [Blanchard's] face and screamed" at her recently after she locked herself in a bathroom. "Gypsy said that she was afraid he was going to hit her. He didn't — but that happened in the past with her mother," Blanchard's close friend said of the alleged incident, which was followed by Blanchard leaving and driving to her father Rod and stepmother Kristy's home in Cut Off, Louisiana. "So, her first instinct was to tighten up and be prepared. But she got to safety and called her lawyer, too. Ryan is a big guy, and she told me it was really scary," Vizier added. Vitzer also alleged that Blanchard's then-husband became more controlling and insecure over her throughout their relationship, which Blanchard's cousin, Bobby Pitre, told PEOPLE wasn't "genuine." "But I'm glad Gypsy got out of this situation. She's such a good person. I'm glad she called somebody and got help that night," Vizier added, before sharing: "There are so many rumors about her out there. I had to finally speak up. I want people to know she didn't leave Ryan for Ken. She left him because she wasn't happy anymore." Anderson could not be reached for comment by PEOPLE at the time. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Blanchard previously told PEOPLE that she and Anderson had some personality differences, revealing that "if we argue, I want to clear it up right away," which she said wasn't the case for Anderson. "Ryan is more of the opposite, where he has to sit on things and think about it, then come back a couple hours later and resolve it. I think that that's one of my main concerns," she said. Gypsy Rose Blanchard in New York City on Jan. 4, 2024. Jamie McCarthy/Getty As for Blanchard and her ex-fiancé Urker, they have a "strong bond," Vizier told PEOPLE following her split from Anderson. Blanchard's friend explained that their matching Husky tattoos were "very personal," as the dog breed was something that "brought them together." Blanchard was previously engaged to Urker before she tied the knot with Anderson in a 2022 prison ceremony. Earlier this week, Blanchard revealed to PEOPLE that she is "going through a personal transformation journey currently and that includes a physical one, too," as she has undergone rhinoplasty to change the shape and appearance of her nose. (She teased that the change will be featured in her upcoming series, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up.) Blanchard told PEOPLE the operation "went great," adding, "I come in and out of sleep. I was in pain at first but I am on pain medicine." "I can't breathe through my nose because of the packing but that comes off on the 10th," she added of her recovery process. "I want to see it so bad!” Before the surgery, Blanchard spent time with Urker, shopping and laughing in public. Vizier said her pal informed her she "was doing good." "She had a really good time. They went on a tour and had so much fun. But I think at the end of the day, she wants people to respect her privacy and give her a break. She still gets so much hate and negativity online," Vizier said. "She has not experienced what a lot of us have with social media or even dating. She's learning. She has a lot of new experiences in her next chapter." Urker and Blanchard recently appeared together in a TikTok Live on April 4, when Urker said the duo are "just friends" and were "just hanging out." "I think she's looking for her happily ever after. I don't know if she realizes it's hard to find Prince Charming, but she deserves it. Ken makes her feel happy right now, even as friends," Vizier told PEOPLE. "That's what we all want for her — to enjoy her life."