Comedian Ricky Gervais’ longtime partner, Jane Fallon, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I thought I should post something as I’ve had a few people notice I’ve been a bit quiet on here lately,” Fallon, 65, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, March 12. “About a month ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer — very early stage thankfully and the prognosis is excellent.”
Fallon underwent a routine mammogram in December 2025 after a radiographer found “something iffy” in her chart despite zero symptoms.
“[The radiographer] sent me for further tests and eventually a biopsy,” she wrote on Thursday. “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.”
Fallon is scheduled to have a surgery later this month to remove any cancerous tissue.
“I just want to get it over with now,” she added. “I’m getting incredible care and all will be fine but I’m not engaging with much beyond audiobooks and jigsaws.”
As Fallon prepares for treatment, she’s received supportive messages from her celebrity friends.
“Caught early is KEY,” Kate Robbins wrote via Instagram comment. “Thanks for letting us know. Sending love xxxxx.”
Nadine Baggott added, “Sending much love and strength, while Zoe Ball replied, “Sending love, Jane. So glad they’re looking after you, lady.”
The official account for Macmillan Cancer Support also sent a message to Fallon.
“Thank you for sharing this, Jane,” the Instagram account read. “We’re really glad to hear the cancer was detected early. Wishing you all the best with your treatment, and if you ever need us, we’re always here.”
Fallon has been in a relationship with Gervais, 64, since 1982 after they initially met in college.
“You just have to get on. You’ve got to be friends, and you have to be able to laugh,” the bestselling author told the Daily Mail in 2018 of the secret to her long-term relationship. “I just don’t understand couples that aren’t friends. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
Fallon and Gervais also have never felt a pull to tie the knot.
“We’re not married because neither of us are fussed,” Fallon told the outlet at the time. “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, however, told The Times of London in 2010 that he and Fallon were basically married “for all intents and purposes.”
“Everything’s shared and actually our fake marriage has lasted longer than a real one,” he quipped to the British newspaper. “There’s no point in us having an actual ceremony before the eyes of God because there is no God.”
