For anyone who has loved and followed wrestling in its earliest days, the name, Andre the Giant, is one that rings loud bells. While his place in the ring cannot be disputed, his personal life has been a subject of debate for many years, most especially as regards the woman he married. Many are of the idea that he was married to a former model, Jean Christensen, while others argue she was never his wife.
The chief reason why Jean is still considered to this day as the wife of the man who was nicknamed the eighth wonder of the world was because they shared a daughter. But was she ever his wife? Here is all to know about her and the truth about the claimed marriage.
How Did Jean Christensen Meet Andre the Giant?
Born on August 15, 1949, Jean was a model who made her path into the wrestling industry as a public relations person. At that same time, André René Roussimoff, a French wrestler who came to make a name for himself as Andre the Giant, was already one of the biggest men in both size and career, in the wrestling business.
It was through their involvement in the wrestling world that their paths first crossed. According to the former model, she had a good height of over six feet, hence she could hardly find any man who was taller than her in her high heels.
When she met Andre the Giant, she was fascinated by him because even in her high heels, she stood shorter than the wrestler, who was over 7 feet tall.
In spite of the height difference, Jean revealed that there was no spark between her and the wrestler. That did not stop them from having a relationship.
They Had a Daughter Together
According to the model, even though at first, there was no spark, there was still the “nod-nod-winky-winky thing.”
Jean threw all caution to the wind with the wrestler and so they began having intercourse. She did not mind because she was almost certain that he was sterile. She couldn’t be more wrong as after a short while, she realized she was pregnant.
This led to the birth of the only daughter of the couple, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff in 1979. Sadly, Robin did not have a great relationship with her dad but many years later, she would dedicate herself to promoting the legacy of the great wrestler.
See Also: Rey Mysterio’s Children: Everything To Know About Them
Were They Ever Married?
Andre the Giant and Jean Christensen were never married. The couple’s relationship was never serious on the part of Jean who was surprised when she took in for the wrestler.
Since their relationship ended before the birth of their daughter, Andre the Giant was not in the life of his daughter right from the moment of her birth. It was made known that the two only met five times before he died when his daughter was 14.
Even though Robin was the only daughter of Andre the Giant before he died in 1993, he was not certain at first, that he was the father of the girl. As a result of this, one of the few times Andre the Giant and his daughter met, was in a medical facility where a blood test was carried out to confirm that indeed, they were related.
In an early 1990s interview, Jean revealed that all she got from the man who was making millions from his career, was less than a thousand dollars in child support. This was later pushed to $1,000.
Jean also voiced out her frustration in the interview, stating that her father was never there. This broke her heart because she had nothing to show about him to her friends when she told them that the wrestler was her father. She was also not happy that, unlike other kids, she never had her father around.
Where is Jean Christensen today?
Since the passing of Andre the Giant, Jean Christensen maintained a very private life as she continued to raise her daughter as a single mom.
It is not clear if she was ever married or if she had any other kids apart from her daughter with the great wrestler. All that has been reported about her is that she died in 2008 at the age of 59.