David Jason’s daughter Abi Harris breaks silence and reveals detail that led her to discover dad’s identity after 52yrs
DAVID Jason's long-lost daughter has broken her silence after a small detail led her to discover his identity.
Abi Harris, 52, recently found out the TV legend was her dad and has since been welcomed into the family.
Sir David - who played Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses - had a brief relationship with Abi's mum, Jennifer Hill, when he was 30.
The pair were in a stage production of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood together.
Incredibly - several decades later in 2008 - Sir David and his actress daughter Abi appeared on stage together in a production of that same play, without knowing who they were to one another.
Abi revealed how a friend in the audience pointed out the pair had similar profiles and the same shaped nose.
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Shocked to see the similarity, Abi eventually plucked up the courage many years later to ask Sir David for a paternity test.
The actor agreed given his previous relationship with her mum.
Sir David said he knew nothing about his daughter until recently.
But once he and his family got over the massive shock, they welcomed Abi, and her son Charlie, 10, into their home.
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The 83-year-old said he, his wife Lady Gill White, 62, and daughter Sophie, 22, are now welcoming them with open arms.
Sir David said: “To say it was a surprise to find out I had a daughter from years ago is an understatement.
“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.”
Abi and son Charlie spent time over Christmas with Sir David at his home in Ellesborough, Bucks.
She 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.”
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.”
