David told our daughter the shock news & she was so understanding

Wife Gill on bombshell Abi discovery

- ASHLEIGH RAINBIRD

SIR David Jason's wife Lady Gill White has told of the family's shock at discovering the actor had a 52-year-old daughter.

The Only Fools and Horses legend made the bombshell discovery that he was the father of actress Abi Harris, and has a 10-year-old grandson. Sir David, 83, his 62-year-old wife, and their daughter Sophie, 22, have welcomed the pair into their family and are working on getting to know one another.

Gill heaped praise on Sophie for her maturity as they try to build up a relationship.

She said: "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."

Sir David had a brief relationship with Abi's actor mum Jennifer Hill in 1970, when they starred in a theatre production of Under Milk Wood at the May Fair theatre in London.

Jennifer, who appeared in James Bond film Octopussy, later married fellow actor Geoffrey Davion, a star of Miss Marple, and Abi grew up believing he was her father until his death in 1996.

Following discussions with her mum, Abi, who has starred in Doctor Who, started to suspect she could be Sir David's daughter.