Soap star Jessie Wallace and her half-sister, Danielle Mason, have finally buried the hatchet, spending their first Christmas together in eight years and ending a bitter feud that lasted a decade. The emotional reunion comes in the wake of a family tragedy, marking a poignant new chapter for the siblings.
A Bittersweet Christmas Reunion
The pair, who share the same mother, Annette, had been estranged for years following a major falling out. Their rift was reportedly centred on family support during the illness of Danielle's father, Ronald Mason, who was also Jessie's stepfather. Ronald tragically passed away in October 2023 after a courageous 12-year battle with leukaemia.
Danielle, 42, shared the heartwarming evidence of their reconciliation on Instagram. The festive snap showed the sisters together in pyjamas and slippers with their mother, Danielle's daughter Delilah, and Jessie's daughter Tallulah. Captioning the family photo, Danielle wrote: 'Xmas with family in PJs, slippers & mum... First Christmas without my dad, but he's in our hearts in everything we do.'
A Decade of Family Strife
The feud between Jessie Wallace and Danielle Mason had been a public on-and-off conflict for nearly twenty years. They were last seen together publicly in 2017. The core of the dispute stemmed from Danielle's accusation that the EastEnders icon had turned her back on stepfather Ronald while he was fighting leukaemia.
This reconciliation caps an incredibly difficult year for Danielle Mason. Beyond losing her father, she also split from her fiancé, Lee Dobson, in May 2024 after a two-year relationship. The former My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star later made serious allegations of domestic abuse against Dobson, sharing a graphic image of her injured face with a split lip, which she claimed was from an attack on the very night of their engagement party.
Loss and New Beginnings
In October, Danielle shared the devastating news of her father's passing on social media. Her tribute read: 'Dad, you watched me take my first breath, I watched you take your last, you battled leukaemia for 12 years, and you didn’t deserve it... I have never felt pain like this in my life.' She used the post to raise awareness for leukaemia, a cancer of the blood-forming tissues.
Leukaemia affects nearly 10,000 people in the UK each year. It leads to an overproduction of abnormal white blood cells, which can crowd out healthy red blood cells and platelets. Symptoms are often vague but can include fatigue, frequent infections, bruising, and shortness of breath.
The sisters' decision to come together for their first Christmas without Ronald suggests a powerful, shared grief has paved the way for forgiveness. While the past decade has been marked by conflict and personal turmoil for the family, this Christmas reunion offers a hopeful sign of healing and renewed bonds.
