Sir David Jason worries he has missed out on things a young father would do with their child.
The 79-year-old actor married Gill Hinchcliffe, 59, in 2005, four years after they welcomed daughter Sophie, now 18, and while Jason is very close to the teenager, he admitted to having some regrets about waiting to become a father.
He told The Daily Telegraph: "I suppose the thing that you miss, perhaps, is being able to do all the things a younger father would do with their child. But Sophie is lovely – when she was a baby and a small child, she was so funny. It was a 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, with a boyfriend’."
However, David says he couldn’t have had children when he was a younger actor, explaining: "I wasn’t really earning any money and I wouldn’t afford to support a family."
David previously revealed being an older father has its advantages because he can pick and choose his work in order to spend time with his daughter.
He said: "When I became a dad for the first time at the age of 61, I had mixed feelings due to fear, but because I was in the fortunate position of being able to pick and choose my work, I could give more time to Sophie."
And he tries his best to keep a good work/life balance by "enjoying both in equal measure".
He said: "We try to keep our evenings quiet and tranquil – I don’t use social media at all and any phone calls are kept to the daytime or early evening. The last thing I do before bedtime at around 10.30pm, or a little earlier if I’m working the next day, is take my script and put it next to the bed, ready for my morning’s revision.
"My motto for a work/life balance is to enjoy both in equal measure. I do know that I am lucky in my chosen career. I wouldn’t swap it for the world."
Sir David Jason’s fears about being an older dad
