“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.”
Sir David Jason
Introduction
Having children is a unique and wonderful experience, and becoming a father was one of the best experiences in my life. My daughters mean the world to me, and so imagine if you had a child you never knew about. Well, that’s precisely what happened to David Jason in 2023. The star of the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses discovered he had a long-lost daughter and a grandchild he knew nothing about. A 52-year-old daughter called Abi and a 10-year-old grandson called Charlie.
This was like getting all your Christmas presents at once. Sir David and his wife Lady Gill Hinchcliffe, were overjoyed when they received the news. Abi Harris had initially written a letter to David asking him whether he would take a paternity test as she had various conversations with her mother and found out her mother Jennifer Hill had a brief relationship with David Jason. An actress who appeared in the James Bond film, Octopussy. However, Abi still thought her real father was Geoffrey Davion until 1996.
The Revelation
David wrote back after Abi made a persuasive case, stating that they had similar noses and facial features. The test came back positive and the families agreed to meet. This brilliant surprise was especially poignant as Abi is an only child and despite all the years of not knowing each other existed, the two are making up for lost time. Both have now been introduced to David’s wider family and David’s daughter Sophie Mae who was born in 2001. What David thought was his first child, not knowing he had Abi who was born in 1970.
