Jean Christensen is the late wife of popular French wrestler – Andre, The Giant. She is also the mother of Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, the only child of the well-celebrated wrestler.
Jean Christensen, who used to work as a model, is mostly known for her connection to Andre The Giant. The two were in a relationship, the only known relationship of the wrestler. She tried to lead a private life but her relationship thrust her into the eyes of the public. She has since become one of the more famous wives of anybody who has been in the WWE.
Summary of Jean Christensen’s Biography
- Full name: Jean Christensen
- Gender: Female
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Nationality: American
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Jean Christensen’s Husband: André René Roussimoff, a.k.a Andre, the Giant
- Jean Christensen’s Children: Robin Christensen-Roussimoff
Who is Jean Christensen?
Jean Christensen is mostly known for her connection to Andre the Gaint. Before this, there was not a lot of information available on her life. She had lived a quiet life and grew up away from the eyes of the public, as such, there is not a lot of information available on her early life, her parents, or where she went to school.
Jean Christensen was a Well Accomplished Model in the 70s
Even though her relationship with Andre the giant further enhanced her fame, Jean wasn’t doing badly herself before she got involved with André René Roussimoff, who is popularly referred to as “Andre, the Giant”.
From the information garnered from the public space, Jean Christensen was a well-known model in the early ’70s. She reportedly worked with several big and small brands during her short stint as a model. Her beauty, amongst other things, must have been one of the things that caught Andre’s attention.
Asides from her modeling career, Jean Christensen also built a career for herself in the wrestling world in Public Relations. She worked as a public relations agent for WWE.
Jean Christensen Met Her Husband – André René Roussimoff, at Work
Jean Christensen met her husband while she worked as a PR Agent for WWE in the early 70s. Before this, she had modeled for a bit, but this was just for a short stint. The duo became friends before they began a relationship. Becoming the partner of one of the most popular men in the world at that time was a big feat for Jean, and shortly, the two were globally known as an item.
Moreover, the first mention of Jean Christensen in public circles was when she started her relationship with Andre, the Giant.
Jean’s Husband was a Professional Wrestler
Andre the Giant, as he was popularly called, was born in France on May 19, 1946. Andre the Giant was known for his great size, which was why he was referred to as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”.
Andre began his career in 1966 before relocating to North America in 1971. Between 1973 to the middle of the 1980s, he was booked by Vincent J. McMahon for (WWWF) World Wide Wrestling Federation as a roving “special attraction” wrestling in the United States and Japan.
During the 1980s wrestling boom, Andre became a mainstay of the WWF and was paired with Bobby Heenan as his manager and feuded with Hulk Hogan. Andre and Hogan headlined WrestleMania III in 1987 before he defeated Hogan to win the WWF Championship in 1988. Asides from wrestling, Roussimoff is also known for featuring as Fezzik, the giant in the 1987 film titled “The Princess Bride.”
While he was alive, he suffered from a condition known as Acromegaly. Acromegaly is a disease of the pituitary gland that causes constant secretion of growth hormone. Some refer to it as gigantism, and its onset is often gradual, with excessive growth of the forehead, hands, feet, and chin.
Andre “the Giant” Roussimoff died of heart failure after lying down in his bed on January 27, 1993. He was 46 years old. After his death, he became the inaugural inductee of the newly created WWF Hall of Fame.
How Long Did Jean Christensen’s Marriage to Andre the Giant Last?
It is not clear how long Jean and Andre were married or if they were ever married. At the same time, it has been reported by some news outlets that they got married but didn’t file for a license in the United States. It’s hard to confirm if this is true since the parties involved never spoke about this and had a strained relationship at the time of their deaths.
Jean Christensen’s Children
Shortly after Jean and Andre started their relationship, Jean discovered that she was pregnant. She gave birth to their only daughter – Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, soon after.
One of the reasons why the nature of Jean Christensen’s relationship with Andre is questioned to this day is because Andre initially refused to believe that Jean was pregnant with his child. Would Andre have had this notion if they were truly married?
Jean Christensen was forced to take Andre to court, and a paternity test was carried out, which confirmed that Robin was indeed Andre’s daughter. On the nature of the relationship between Jean’s daughter and her father, Robin has revealed years later that her mother didn’t encourage her to watch her father on television because she wanted Robin to form her opinion about him outside of what the media sold him as.
Jean Christensen in a Paternity Fraud Case
When Robin Christensen-Roussimoff was born, her father, Andre, the Giant, who is now dead, insisted that she was not his child. He was concerned about the child’s paternity and worried that she might not be his. This led to Jean Christensen going to court, which led to the court requesting a paternity test. The results of which stated that she was his daughter and proved that Christensen was not lying.
This event most likely led to a fallout between the two. Christensen has full parental rights to their daughter, and because Andre the Giant was always working, he did not have a real relationship with his daughter before he died. Throughout his life, they had only ever seen themselves 5 times.
During their court case, Jean demanded financial support from Andre for their daughter. After several years of asking for support, Jean and her daughter got approval from the judiciary to receive from Andre a sum of $750 a month, which was later increased to $1000 per month.
Regardless of the estranged nature of their relationship, when Andre the giant died, he left his entire estate to her, his daughter, who was still a child at that time.
Where is Andre the Giant’s Wife Now?
After the incident with the paternity case, not much was heard from Jean Christensen or about her. Since she was no longer in the industry, she took on the care of their daughter and lived away from the eye of the public. This was how she lived until she died in 2008, 15 years after the death of Andre, the Giant.
