For decades, popular comedian Ricky Gervais has maintained that legal marriage is entirely unnecessary.
However, after being in a relationship with author Jane Fallon for over 40 years, he has finally discovered a serious tax-related reason that could force him to get married.
The revelation by Ricky Gervais has been met with mostly positive reactions, with many praising him for the move, while some were left stunned that he wasn’t already married to Fallon.
Famous comedian Gervais, whose personal fortune sits at an estimated £141 million [$191 million], recently opened up to Saga Magazine regarding his intentions to marry his longtime partner, best-selling author Jane Fallon.
When questioned directly if tax benefits were the primary motivation for marrying Fallon, who holds an independent net worth of £1.3 million [$1.8 million], Gervais candidly admitted to the financial move.
He said, “It is. And that will be the reason I marry. We haven’t done it yet. But if it wasn’t for [tax]… why?…”
Under current estate laws in the UK, unmarried cohabiting couples are excluded from the automatic spouse exemption rule.
This specific legal provision permits a married individual or civil partner to inherit their deceased partner’s entire estate completely free from inheritance tax liabilities, a protective benefit that even long-term unmarried couples like Gervais and Fallon can not receive.
Instead, they face an inheritance tax rate of up to 40 percent on any estate assets that exceed the standard tax-free allowance. This presents a massive financial exposure for someone like Gervais who has an extensive, multi-million-pound property portfolio.
Included in Gervais’ real estate portfolio is a sprawling, nine-bedroom mansion in North London’s Hampstead neighborhood valued at £14.75 million [$19.97 million], alongside a pair of apartments in New York City.
Additionally, Gervais owns a riverside home in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, where local officials recently approved his plans to build a custom £5 million [$6.77 million] neo-Georgian mansion.
According to the Daily Mail, the comedian’s mansion will include a grand entrance hall, a galleried landing, an internal elevator, a home gym, a private drawing room, and a master suite complete with an outdoor terrace that offers sweeping views of a tennis court and pond.
Regarding his latest marriage comments, fans of Gervais seemed excited about it, with one individual on X writing, “A sensible decision. Good publicity for those not aware of this. I guess he’s hoping he pops his clogs first.”
Another stated, “He better have gotten her a huge rock for making her wait that long.”
Ricky Gervais And Jane Fallon Appear To Have Always Been On The Same Page About Marriage
Gervais and Fallon initially crossed paths during their student years at University College London in 1982, eventually relocating two years later into an apartment situated directly above an establishment the comedian reportedly described as a “seedy sauna” in King’s Cross.
From early on, the long-term partners mutually agreed not to get married or ever have kids, with Fallon later reflecting that, since she was a child, she had never been interested in weddings or motherhood.
During an appearance on the “Second Act podcast” with host Ateh Jewel, she said: “When I was little, you know the cliche of a little girl is they imagine their wedding day and their wedding dress… it was none of that, ever.
“I would think about getting a dog or something,” the author continued, per the Daily Mail. “It was always about work and my life. I would think about the flat that I would live in and stuff like that. But I was never into that kind of romance stuff.”
During his chat with Saga Magazine, Gervais stressed how long he and Fallon have stayed together, noting that while not legally married, they have been able to stay committed to each other, unlike a lot of married couples.
“It’s mad,” he noted about the tax issue forcing him to tie the knot. “How more married can you be? We share all our money; we’ve been living together for 40 years. Some marriages don’t last a year.”
Acknowledging that they might need to make their partnership legal sooner rather than later, the comedian remarked, “It’s horrible, isn’t it? ‘I’ve got to get around to marrying before I die.’”
Gervais has long maintained that he and Fallon are already married “for all intents and purposes,” telling The Sunday Times in 2010 that their “fake marriage has lasted longer than a real one.”
Ricky Gervais’ Longtime Partner Faced A Cancer Battle
Gervais’ recent remarks about marriage and tax come after a significant health scare for his long-term partner.
Fallon was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram caught the illness in its earliest, most treatable stages.
By April, she was able to offer fans a reassuring update on her treatment plan. After completing an initial surgical procedure to remove the tumor and a necessary margin of healthy tissue, she happily announced that her surgeons had “basically got it all.”
Showing immense resilience, Fallon then moved forward with a successful follow-up operation to finalize her surgical care, keeping a remarkably optimistic outlook throughout her recovery.
