Sir David Jason’s wife breaks silence after it’s revealed husband has 52-year-old daughter he didn’t know about
SIR David Jason's wife has broken her silence after the Only Fools and Horses star revealed he had a 52-year-old daughter.
The TV legend, 83, yesterday opened up about finding out he was actually a dad-of-two - and has a 10-year-old grandson.
Sir David said didn't know Abi Harris, 52, was his daughter until recently.
But once he, wife Lady Gill White, and daughter Sophie got over the massive shock, they welcomed Abi, and her son Charlie, into their home.
Sir David - who played Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses - said: "To say it was a surprise is an understatement."
Lady Gill today opened up about her own shock - while praising their 22-year-old daughter Sophie's maturity amid the surprise.
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She told : “I can only imagine what a shock it was for David and Abi to realise their new relationship and so I felt very supportive towards them from the start.
"It is lovely to embrace Abi into our family and I’m so pleased that everyone has been so understanding.
“We obviously waited for the right moment to tell Sophie as it was a massive surprise for her too.
“David took her off and worded it beautifully and she took it all in with great understanding and maturity.”
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The family is now building a bond with Abi, who was born in 1970 after her actor mum Jennifer Hill had a brief relationship with the star.
Sir David yesterday told : "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.”
Abi, who is also an actor, and Charlie even spent some of the festive period with Sir David at his home in Ellesborough, Bucks.
The 52-year-old said: “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.”
Abi's mum Jennifer was in a relationship with Sir David when he was 30.
They both starred in Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood at London’s May Fair theatre and a year later he appeared in a film version of the classic.
Sir David met Abi after she was born, but the pair had no idea who each other were.
It wasn't until years later that she started suspecting he was her father - and asked him in a letter whether or not he would do a paternity test.
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And it was that test that revealed the truth.
Sir David added: “We hope we are all allowed the privacy to continue our new relationship and get to know each other more and more.”
