Ricky Gervais’ partner and author Jane Fallon undergoes surgery after breast cancer diagnosis

Author Jane Fallon has revealed she’s undergone surgery a few weeks after announcing her breast cancer diagnosis.

Jane, 65, has been in a relationship with Ricky Gervais, 64, for 44 years.

They met while studying at University College London in 1982.

However she remained positive, saying it was in the ‘very early stage’ and the prognosis was ‘excellent’.

Posting a series of photos from hospital, she wrote: ‘Little update.

Big day.

I had my op this morning.

I’m feeling remarkably fine (which is possibly the drugs, and they might also explain why I’m cross eyed in photo 5).

‘It all went very well, apparently.

I celebrated with a cup of tea and the brilliant @catsteadman ‘s new one (more on that later, but I’m loving it so far).

I’m held together with superglue* and dissolving stitches.

‘The popsox have to stay on for 48 hours, so I’m going to style them out as a new trend.

Now I just have to wait 8-10 days for confirmation that they’ve got it all and the margins are clear (small % chance of more surgery) and work out how to stop Pickle trampling over my incision.’
After calling the feline the ‘best nurse ever’, she went on to thank people ‘for all the lovely messages I’ve had since I posted about what was happening’.

‘I’ve honestly been blown away and I’m reading every single one of them even if I’m not quite keeping up with replying #breastcancer,’ she concluded the post.

When initially sharing her health news, Jane explained how she’d had a routine mammogram a week before Christmas.

Although she’d had no symptoms, the radiographer ‘spotted something iffy’ and sent her for further tests and eventually a biopsy.

‘Since then, I’ve had more mammograms, more biopsies and an MRI so they can pinpoint the problem area precisely,’ she explained.

‘It’s been a lot; I’m not going to lie.

But my surgery is scheduled for the week after next and I just want to get it over with now.

Jane began her career at a theatrical literary agency, before going on to become a script reader and script editor for theatre productions and television, including EastEnders, This Life, 20 Things to Do Before You’re 30 and Teachers.

In 2006 she then turned her attention to becoming a full-time novelist, releasing her debut Getting Rid of Matthew the following year.

It became a national bestseller.

In the years since she’s published a further 11 novels, which have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Ricky has previously said they chose not to marry because ‘there’s no point in us having an actual ceremony before the eyes of God because there is no God’ or have children because they ‘didn’t fancy dedicating 16 years of [their] lives… and there are too many children, of course’.

Last month Jane appeared on the Second Act podcast, in which she spoke about having no regrets about their decision too.

‘As I got older, I just realised [becoming a parent] wasn’t for me.

I’m a real catastrophist… I assume the worst.

I would stifle the life out of my kids.

I can’t even let my cat out.

I think your job as a parent is to create independent, go-be-free [children].

But it’s really hard.

I just thought I’ll be a better auntie – and auntie to my friends’ kids – than I will be a mother.

I just didn’t think I’d be very good at it because I thought I’d be too anxious.’
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