Ricky Gervais’ partner Jane Fallon diagnosed with breast cancer

Ricky Gervais’ long term partner Jane Fallon has revealed she is currently battling breast cancer.

The author and TV producer, 65, who is often credited for inspiring some of Gervais’ most popular works, shared the news of her diagnosis on Thursday March 12.

Announcing the news on Instagram, Fallon appeared in a photo wearing a plain black t-shirt along with a text overlay “Bit of news…(no one panic.)”

She then went on to elaborate in the caption as she wrote: “So... I thought I should post something as I’ve had a few people notice I’ve been a bit quiet on here lately.”

“About a month ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer - very early stage thankfully & the prognosis is excellent,” she explained.

“I had a routine mammogram a week before Christmas. I had no symptoms but the brilliant radiographer spotted something iffy & sent me for further tests & eventually a biopsy.

“Since then I’ve had more mammograms, more biopsies and an MRI so they can pinpoint the problem area precisely. It’s been a lot, I’m not going to lie,” she added.

Thanks to the early detection, treatment was looking promising, with Fallon revealing she was due to undergo surgery in two weeks time to address the problem, but admitted that the wait was tough and she’d much rather ‘get it over with now.’

Alongside the image of herself, Fallon also shared a glimpse of her unique source of support - a stuffed bear wearing a blue stethoscope and ID that read ‘Dr. Eric’ and a photo of her cat, Pickle, in a hand-drawn purple nurse’s uniform and name tag.

Fallon and Gervais first met over four decades ago at University College London, with the pair officially starting to date in 1982.

Given the longevity of their romance, many fans have often wondered why the couple haven’t tied the knot and both Fallon and Gervais have publicly addressed this in the past.

Fallon told the Daily Mail in February 2018 that neither she nor Ricky were ‘fussed’ about marriage, before adding: “I think if one of us really cared then we would probably do it but it's not really been anything that either of us have ever really needed.”

Gervais himself also echoed similar sentiments in an interview with The Times back in January 2010: “We are married for all intents and purposes, everything's shared and actually our fake marriage has lasted longer than a real one. But there’s no point in us having an actual ceremony before the eyes of God because there is no God."