Only Fools and Horses' Tessa Peake-Jones 'not particularly interested in dating'
Only Fools and Horses icon Tessa Peake-Jones split from Douglas Hodge in 2012 after almost 30 years together.
Only Fools and Horses legend Tessa Peake-Jones is "not particularly interested in dating".
The Raquel Turner actress and Douglas Hodge - who played the adult version of her alter ego and Derek "Del Boy" Trotter's (Sir David Jason's) son Damien in the BBC sitcom - split in the autumn of 2012 after a nearly 30-year romance, and they have two children, Charlie, 34, and Mollie, 25.
Asked if she is looking for Mr Right, Tessa told the new issue of Best magazine: "I'm not particularly interested in dating, no.
"Never say never, but once the kids have left home and you have no responsibilities - your own life - it's quite exciting, I find.
"I'm very lucky in that I love my work and would do it every single day of the year if I could. Acting keeps you young.
"It's exciting, you're meeting new people all the time and developing social skills. As actors, you create very quick 'families' together, which means you're soon intimate, close and trusting with each other."
Tessa, 68, fears that some parents are choosing their phones over bonding with their children.
She explained: "It worries me when I'm out and about and see parents glued to their phones rather than communicating with their young children.
"They're missing so much and turning their kids into phone addicts, too. It's all getting out of hand."
Tessa and David Jason, 86, have reunited for a two-part documentary series that airs on U+GOLD later this year, titled Only Fools And Horses: The Lost Archive, in which they will talk about never-before-seen footage, as well as lost scenes from episodes, including The Jolly Boys' Outing.
However, she found it challenging to watch herself back.
Tessa said: "I never like watching myself and tend never to watch anything I'm in on TV if at all possible. Some actors are fine with it, but not me. I'm hypercritical of myself.
"One of the reasons I so love the theatre is that you can't get to watch yourself back. It's organic if you like."
And Tessa is amazed at how many youngsters express their love for Only Fools and Horses when they meet her.
Asked if she still gets recognised for playing Raquel, the star said: "Only all the time! It’s not surprising, really.
"It's constantly on TV and streaming platforms. What does surprise me is that many of the people who come up to me and tell me how much they love the show are young.
"If teenagers and young people love it, then the lovely John Sullivan, who wrote it and who sadly is no longer with us, clearly did something very right."
