Andre the Giant never intended to have children. Medically, as an article published in the Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders explains, there are a lot of difficulties facing men with acromegaly who want a family. Jean Christensen, the mother of André's daughter Robin, thought Andre was sterile, as she said in a 1990 interview. Christensen's pregnancy came as a shock, and she and Andre's relationship started crumbling shortly after Robin's birth.
For his part, Andre didn't want to be an absentee father, but his schedule kept him on the road. Robin grew up seeing her father here and there, more as a figure orbiting her life than a daily presence. Her mother, Jean Christensen, wanted to shield her daughter from Andre's celebrity persona. Speaking of her mother to CBS Sports, Robin said, "She [Christensen] wanted me to form my own opinions on my dad, not what the media sold him as." One of Robin's most prominent memories of Andre is when he took her to see "The Princess Bride," but kept his role in the movie a surprise. According to Sports Illustrated, when Robin saw Andre on screen she freaked out and screamed, "That's my dad!"
Andre's friend Jackie McAuley told CBS Sports that Andre's distance from his daughter "broke his heart." Christensen also wanted to keep some distance between herself and Andre, and didn't want to travel with Robin to visit him when he was alone at his North Carolina ranch.
