Terry Wiles

[3] During her pregnancy Andrew's mother took the sedative thalidomide to combat her morning sickness, resulting in his severe physical disabilities at birth.

Unable to cope with his disabilities and suspecting he would not survive, Andy's mother left him at the hospital, this abandonment resulting in him being put into care.

[4] He had a nervous breakdown due to bullying and abuse at his secondary school Ernulf Community College in St. Neots, where on one occasion some students put him in a holdall and dragged him around a room.

Later, in 1986 at a conference for disabled children, Wiles met Robyn (born 1960), a married nurse who left her husband in June 1988 to be with him.

The couple faced a great deal of opposition from both families; Wiles' parents believed that Robyn was only interested in his money, the financial payout that he had received from the thalidomide manufacturers (Distillers Company).