Advertisement

Sir David Jason meets daughter 52 years after having fling with co star

Abi Harris and her father Sir David Jason - Mirrorpix
Abi Harris and her father Sir David Jason - Mirrorpix

Sir David Jason met his daughter who he did not know anything about 52 years after having a fling with his co-star.

Abi Harris was reportedly born in 1970 after her actress mother Jennifer Hill had a brief relationship with The Only Fools And Horses star.

Sir David performed alongside Ms Hill, who also starred in Octopussy, on the production of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood at the May Fair Theatre in London.

The show is centered around an omniscient narrator who invites the audience to listen to the innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of a fictional Welsh fishing village.

Unaware that Sir David was her father, Ms Hill appeared in a modern performance of Under Milk Wood in 2008 in which her mother and Sir David also took part.

Ms Harris started to suspect Sir David was her biological father after learning about his relationship with her mother, Ms Hill, and then realising she had the same shaped nose as him, according to the Daily Mirror.

She wrote to Sir David asking him if he would take a paternity test, and he agreed, with the result confirming that Ms Harris was his daughter, the Daily Mail reported.

After the revelation, the 83-year-old TV star is said to be building a relationship with Ms Harris and her 10-year-old son Charlie.

'Surprise' is an understatement

Sir David told the Mirror: "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."

The actor also has 22-year-old daughter Sophie with his wife Gill Hinchcliffe, 20 years his junior, who he met on a TV set.

The pair were married in 2005 on the eve of his investiture ceremony where he was knighted for his services to acting and comedy.

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."

The actor is best known for his role as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses.

His other starring roles include Detective Inspector Jack Frost in A Touch of Frost, Granville in Open All Hours and Still Open All Hours, and Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds Of May.

Harris has reportedly followed in her father's footsteps appearing in Doctor Who: The Eighth Of March, Strange Chemistry and The Avengers: The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 7.