Jean Christensen: the verified story of André the Giant’s partner
Jean Christensen was a wrestling publicist who met André Roussimoff, known to the world as André the Giant, in the early 1970s. Their relationship produced his only child, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, born in France in 1979.
They never married, despite what several pages claim. The relationship broke down soon after Robin’s birth, and Christensen spent years pressing André for support. She died in 2008.
One note before going further: several people share this name, including a Danish badminton player and a college runner. This page is about André the Giant’s partner.
Quick facts
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Profession | Public relations in professional wrestling |
| Known for | Partner of André the Giant and mother of his only child |
| Met André | Early 1970s, through the wrestling business |
| Daughter | Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, born 1979 in France |
| Marriage to André | None. They never married |
| Died | 2008 |
Her birth date, birthplace, and family background are not confirmed by any reliable source.
Who was she?
She worked in public relations in professional wrestling at a time when very few women held those jobs. That is how she met André.
Accounts place their meeting somewhere between 1972 and 1974. The relationship was not a long partnership. Sources describing it, including the biography The Eighth Wonder of the World by Bertrand Hébert and Pat Laprade, treat it as brief and, afterward, adversarial.
She left the wrestling business at some point after Robin’s birth. Robin has said her mother was no longer part of the industry during her childhood.
The relationship with André the Giant
This is the part of her story that is documented, mostly through her daughter’s later interviews and through the Hébert and Laprade biography.
| Period | What happened |
|---|---|
| Early 1970s | Christensen meets André through wrestling |
| 1979 | Robin is born in France |
| 1980s | The relationship deteriorates. Christensen pursues support from André |
| 1980s–1990s | Robin sees her father only a handful of times |
| Early 1993 | Christensen and Robin appear on A Current Affair to discuss the estrangement |
| January 1993 | André dies in Paris of congestive heart failure, aged 46 |
| 2008 | Christensen dies |
Robin has estimated that she met her father about five times, some of those in a courtroom. Reporting describes phone calls between André and Robin that often ended in arguments between the adults.
The biography describes a specific impasse:
- André wanted to see Robin, but not her mother
- Robin, still young, would not travel to his North Carolina ranch without her mother
- Christensen and André were not on good enough terms for her to go along
- Neither parent wanted the child spending much time around the wrestling business
The result was a standoff that lasted most of Robin’s childhood.
André’s estate
When André died, he left his estate to Robin, but placed it in a trust she could not access until she turned 30, which happened in 2009. Accounts of the arrangement say he did not want Christensen controlling the money.
She died the year before that trust opened.
What Robin has said about her mother
This is the closest thing to a first-hand account of Christensen, and it is more generous than the court battles suggest.
Robin has said that her mother did not push a particular view of André on her. She has described being encouraged to form her own opinion of her father rather than accept the version the media sold. She has also said the family did not watch wrestling at home, partly because her mother had left the industry.
That is worth weighing against the adversarial picture in the legal record. Both can be true.
Where the reliable information comes from
Almost everything credible about Christensen reaches the public through three routes, and none of them is an interview with her.
- Robin’s own interviews. Her daughter has spoken to outlets over the years about her father, and her mother appears in those accounts.
- The Hébert and Laprade biography. The Eighth Wonder of the World draws on people who knew André, and it covers the custody impasse in more detail than press coverage does.
- Contemporary television. The A Current Affair appearance in the early 1990s put mother and daughter on camera together before André died.
Christensen herself gave little to the press. What exists is her side as relayed by her daughter, and the record of what happened rather than what she thought about it.
Facts vs claims
This keyword has some of the widest contradictions I have seen. Here is how the claims compare.
| Claim | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wrestling publicist who met André in the early 1970s | Supported | Multiple outlets and the Hébert and Laprade biography |
| Mother of Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, born 1979 | Supported | Widely reported |
| Never married André | Supported | André never married anyone |
| Died in 2008 | Reported | Consistent across sources, with no obituary cited |
| Married André without registering the certificate | False | Invented. They did not marry |
| Born August 15, 1949, in Minnesota | Unconfirmed | No record cited |
| Died at 74 in 2008 | Contradicted | Incompatible with a 1949 birth, which would make her 58 or 59 |
| Height of 6 feet 4 inches | Contradicted | Another page says 5 feet 7 inches. Both are unsourced |
| Named parents of Danish descent | Unconfirmed | Specific and unsourced |
| Former model | Unconfirmed | No agency, campaign, or portfolio named |
| Net worth of $100,000 | Unsupported | No basis given |
The height claim is the clearest signal of invention. One page lists her at 6 feet 4 inches, which would have made her one of the tallest women in America. Another gives 5 feet 7. Neither cites anything, and at least one is simply made up.
What we left out
This page does not speculate about her cause of death, her finances, or her private life after she left the wrestling business. It also does not repeat the physical descriptions that fill most profiles of her, since none of them have a source.
Why her story matters in the André the Giant legend
André the Giant is one of the most mythologized figures in American popular culture, helped along by The Princess Bride and by HBO’s 2018 documentary. The myth is mostly affectionate: the gentle giant, the record-setting drinker, the man who filled a room.
Christensen sits at the point where the myth meets something harder. She had his only child, and that child grew up with an absent father and a support battle. It is the least romantic part of the story and the part most retellings skip.
She is also, in her own right, an example of something rare for the era: a woman working in the public relations side of professional wrestling in the 1970s.
The bottom line
Jean Christensen met André the Giant through the wrestling business in the early 1970s and had his only child in 1979. She then spent years in a difficult co-parenting situation with one of the most famous men in the world. She died in 2008, a year before her daughter inherited his estate.
For sourcing, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff’s interviews and the Hébert and Laprade biography are the material worth reading. Skip the pages listing her height and net worth.
FAQs about Jean Christensen
Who was Jean Christensen?
She was a wrestling publicist and the mother of André the Giant’s only child, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff.
Was she married to André the Giant?
No, they never married, and André never married anyone.
When did she die?
In 2008, according to multiple accounts. No obituary has been widely cited.
Who is Robin Christensen-Roussimoff?
She is the daughter of Christensen and André the Giant, born in France in 1979, and his only child.
How did she meet André the Giant?
Through professional wrestling in the early 1970s, where she worked in public relations.
Did André the Giant have other children?
No. Robin was his only child.
Why were André and his daughter estranged?
His schedule, his reluctance to be seen in public with her, and a difficult relationship with her mother all contributed.
JacksonPadilla is a writer at Around Celebrities, covering celebrity families, relationships, biographies, and the stories behind the stars. With a focus on clear and engaging storytelling, JacksonPadilla helps readers discover the people and connections beyond the spotlight.
