who was ed gein girlfriend in real life

Ed Gein's girlfriend in real life was Adeline Watkins, although their relationship has some complexities. Adeline Watkins claimed to have dated Ed Gein for about 20 years and described him as "good and kind and sweet." She stated that Gein proposed to her in 1955, but she turned him down because she felt she could not live up to what he expected of her. However, a few weeks after making these claims public, Watkins retracted much of her story, saying their relationship was exaggerated and lasted only about seven months intermittently. Gein never publicly acknowledged her, and their relationship was not as deeply romantic or involved as sometimes portrayed. Watkins described their time together mostly as casual dates and visits, and she kept a positive but complicated view of him despite his crimes.