Sir David Jason's delight after discovering for first time he has 52-year-old daughter
Sir David Jason found out he has a daughter and grandson who he was unaware exi
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Actor Sir David Jason has shared his joy about finding new family members, after discovering he has a daughter that he knew nothing about her entire life.
The TV star has welcomed his 52-year-old daughter and 10-year-old grandson into his family and is building a relationship after years apart.
He has told of his joy at finding out he is a dad to Abi Harris and grandfather to her son Charlie.
After getting over the shocking news, Jason and his wife Lady Gill White and their 22-year-old daughter Sophie have welcomed both Abi and Charlie into their family.
Sir David Jason is said to be welcoming his new family members with open arms
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The family are making up for lost time after Harris was born in 1970 following a brief relationship between her mum Jennifer Hill and Jason.
It was revealed that Abi started to suspect he was her biological father after hearing about his time with her mum and then realising she had the same shaped nose as him.
Jason 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.”
Harris - who is also an actor - and her son spent time with Jason at his home in Ellsborough, Bucks, over the festive period.
“David’s very sanguine and accepting,” a source told the Mirror.
“It seems like an impossible task for everyone, you can’t make up for lost time. That’s just a regret everyone has to carry.
“But what they can do is make the most of their relationships moving forward, and that’s exciting.
“It’s early days, but they are meeting up when they can during holidays.
“They want to become closer until things feel even more open and relaxed. And now there are two new sisters who want to get to know each other, too.”
Jason and Jennifer’s relationship began at the start of 1970 after they both starred in Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood at London’s May Fair theatre.
Hill who has appeared in Doctor Who and Bond movie, Octopussy, and Jason were reunited in 2008 for a reprisal of Under Milk Wood.
The show also starred Abi alongside her mum and at an event for a mutual friend she spotted that she and Jason has similar side profiles.
Hill was married to screen star Geoffrey Davion, who appeared in Miss Marple and The Stars Look Down, and Abi believed he was her father until his death in 1996.
Sir David Jason with his wife Gill
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After much reflection, Harris decided to write Jason a letter and opened with a line from Dylan’s play which read: “To begin at the beginning. Or to be more precise, my beginning…”
In the note, she explained the details of her hunch and asked him if he would take a paternity test.
The source said: “It’s a lovely letter, which David has kept.
“It was light-hearted but serious, without being overwhelming. It was obvious whoever had written it was a nice person who just wanted to find out her heritage. The Dylan quote was the perfect way to start it.”
Jason agreed to take the paternity test and it showed he was Abi’ father.
Harris 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.”
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