British author and television producer Jane Fallon says a routine medical appointment just before Christmas changed everything.
According to Page Six, Fallon, the longtime partner of comedian Ricky Gervais, revealed Thursday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer about a month ago.
The 65-year-old shared the news in an Instagram post, explaining that doctors discovered the cancer during a routine mammogram despite the fact she had no symptoms.
“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,” Fallon wrote.
She said the weeks that followed involved a series of medical appointments as doctors worked to confirm and evaluate the diagnosis.
“Since then I’ve had more mammograms, more biopsies and an MRI so they can pinpoint the problem area precisely,” she explained.
Although Fallon acknowledged the process has been overwhelming at times, she said doctors caught the cancer very early.
“It’s been a lot, I’m not going to lie,” she wrote.
Despite the diagnosis, Fallon said doctors have given her an encouraging outlook.
According to her post, the cancer was discovered at a very early stage and her prognosis is “excellent.”
Fallon also revealed she is scheduled to undergo surgery within the next two weeks.
“I’m getting incredible care and all will be fine but I’m not engaging with much beyond audiobooks & jigsaws tbh,” she added.
Fallon has been in a relationship with Gervais for more than four decades.
The couple first met in 1982 while they were both students at University College London.
Although they have been together since their college days, Fallon has previously explained that they never felt a need to marry.
In a 2018 interview with the Daily Mail, she also shared what she believed helped their relationship last so long.
“To paraphrase Joan Collins, separate bathrooms is the secret to a happy relationship — separate bedrooms would be a disaster though!” Fallon said at the time.
“Other than that I don’t really know; it sounds pathetic, but you just have to get on,” she added. “You’ve got to be friends, and you have to be able to laugh.”
Fallon also said that marriage was simply never a priority for either of them.
“We’re not married because neither of are fussed,” she explained. “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.”
