Sir David Jason's 'new' daughter Abi Harris has spoken candidly about how she discovered the Only Fools and Horses star was her father some five decades after she was born. Abi, who was reportedly born in 1970 after her actress mother Jennifer Hill had a brief relationship with Sir David, 83, is now building a relationship with the TV legend along with her own child - 10-year-old son Charlie.
Abi had previously believed her father was Geoffrey Davion - who appeared in Miss Marple and The Stars Look Down - until his death in 1996. And despite Sir David and Jennifer reuniting in Under Milk Wood in 2008 with their offspring alongside them, it was another five years until she began to suspect he could be her dad.
Abi revealed that the pair attended an event together where she noticed they had similar side-profiles, and added that it was watching her son Charlie grow up that encouraged her to write to Sir David asking him to do a paternity test.
She told the Mirror: "In discovering my father’s identity, I am starting to piece together my own. Of course, I am tickled pink and incredibly proud but, frequently, completely overwhelmed with sorrow for the years we have lost.
"After a measured start, now I hope we can consciously make time to see each other more often, so that I can master the art of being the best big sister and build a meaningful father-daughter relationship in its truest sense."
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Sir David, meanwhile, has spoken of his 'delight' at now being a father-of-two.
"To say it was a surprise to find out I had a daughter from years ago is an understatement," he said. "However, on settling with the news, I am delighted that I am now able to get to know Abi and so we meet up when we can.
"My wife, Gill, and daughter, Sophie, have been very supportive and understanding and have embraced Abi and welcomed her and her young son into her now wider family."
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