The article analyses Violet Cannon’s collaborative life story, Gypsy princess: The true story of a Romany childhood (2011) from various positions that Cannon takes up in relation to dubious paratextual representations: a much-critiqued popular television series, the group(s) that she belongs to, marriage and divorce, and family and friends. Cannon deconstructs generalizations about Romanies/Gypsies/Travellers and various forms of representation by using non-dichotomous arguments, and provides insights into various nuances and variances in gender relations, including constellations of gender support systems. An analysis of the paratextual threshold reveals a continuum of historical and more contemporary connections and disconnections to the life story content, including a suggested counter-discourse formed between Cannon and her co-author that deconstructs static and stereotyped views of Romani/Gypsy/Traveller women.