David Jason has opened up about his special bond with daughter Sophie, 19, who he shares with wife Gill Hinchcliffe. The Only Fools and Horses star spoke to the Telegraph in an interview last year, when he explained how becoming a father for the first time at an older age had impacted him, and the sweet nickname he has for his daughter.
MORE: Who is David Jason married to? All you need to know
David, who became a father aged 61, said of being an older parent: "I suppose the thing that you miss, perhaps, is being able to do all the things a younger father would do with their child."
© Photo: Getty ImagesDavid with his daughter Sophie and wife Gill
He added: "But Sophie is lovely – when she was a baby and a small child, she was so funny, it was sheer delight. I still call her 'the warf', because she loved Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but she couldn't say the 'D'. Even now, I'll say, 'Where's the warfling?', and my wife will say, 'Oh, she's gone out'".
MORE: A Touch of Frost star David Jason's latest project revealed
MORE: Remembering Only Fools and Horses castmates who sadly died
In the same interview, the actor, who's known and loved for his work in Only Fools and Horses, A Touch of Frost and Open All Hours, also opened up about his work in comedy, and how fame impacted his life. "It never really affected me because I've always kept my feet on the ground."
He added: "You look at some of the modern people who haven't had the grounding that I had, like some of the Love Island types, they get this big shot of fame, and a couple of years later, for most, not all, it's over."
© Photo: RexDavid Jason is one of Britain's favoured actors
David and Gill, who have been married since 2005, welcomed Sophie in 2001 after meeting on a TV set back in 1995. "I first set eyes on Gill, a floor assistant at [a TV studio] in Leeds, when she was sent to meet me in the studio car park," he told the Guardian.
"She was 20 years younger, we were living in different parts of the country, and I was still numb with grief. Yet work kept bringing us together and fondness turned to love. Our daughter, Sophie Mae, was born in March 2001. When she was handed to me, the room seemed suddenly very still."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
