The famous felon was freed on parole early Thursday, and when she departed Chillicothe Correctional Center in Chillicothe, MO she was greeted by a familiar face ... her hubby, Ryan Scott Anderson.

Gypsy wanted to keep media away from the prison, and she left in a car ... but she's not shying away from Ryan's camera guy. After all, she's the subject of an upcoming Lifetime doc.

Ryan, a teacher from Louisiana who married Gypsy in prison last year, captured his wife's first taste of freedom after her 7 years behind bars ... and then he and the photog went back to their hotel a few hours later, without Gypsy.

As we first told you, Gypsy's release was super secretive ... media and fans weren't allowed on the premises, and the parking lot was off limits too.

Ryan and his photog had the golden ticket though ... his car stood out in the empty parking lot, and not just because of the personalized 'Hitman' license plate -- a tribute to the famous WWE wrestler.

Gypsy's homecoming has been eagerly anticipated ... remember, she was was sentenced to a decade behind bars back in 2016 being convicted in the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard -- who was accused of forcing Gypsy to pretend to be disabled for years.

Gypsy's then-boyfriend, Nick Godejohn, admitted to murdering Dee Dee in 2015 to help GRB escape her mother's clutches -- and he's still serving a life sentence.

As we reported ... Gypsy was granted parole in September, and her release on Thursday comes 3 years before her original release date.

Gypsy's case captured the nation's attention and spawned an HBO doc and a Hulu series ... though her story will now be told in her own words thanks to the new 3-part doc, "The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard." Hence the camera crew here.