Jane Fallon Opens Up About Child-Free Decision with Ricky Gervais
Jane Fallon, the long-term partner of comedian Ricky Gervais, has candidly shared that she harbours no regrets about the couple's mutual decision not to have children. The 65-year-old TV producer turned bestselling novelist, who has been in a relationship with Gervais for over four decades, revealed that she knew from a very young age that motherhood was not part of her life plan.
Early Disinterest in Traditional Paths
Speaking on the Second Act podcast with Ateh Jewel, Fallon explained her unconventional childhood perspective. '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,' she confessed. 'I would think about getting a dog or something. 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.'
The author, known for Sunday Times bestsellers such as Faking Friends and Queen Bee, also noted that being the youngest of five siblings spared her from familial pressure to provide grandchildren. 'Luckily, big family - other people have had kids, so you're the youngest, the other people have had them, so the pressure is off,' she said. 'I feel bad for people in smaller families where they feel that pressure from their parents to give them grandchildren or whatever. I never had any of that.'
Anxiety and Self-Awareness About Parenting
Fallon admitted that her personality traits, particularly her anxiety, influenced her decision. She described herself as a 'real catastrophist' who assumes the worst, which she believes would have made her an overbearing mother. Comparing herself to one of her sisters, whom she praised for achieving a perfect balance in raising children, Fallon reflected: '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 [kids]. It's really hard.'
She concluded that she would be better suited to an auntie role, stating: '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.'
A Lasting Partnership Built on Different Careers
Fallon and Gervais, who met as students at University College London in 1982, have been together for 44 years without marrying. They moved in together in 1984 into a small flat in King's Cross, which Gervais once described as being 'above some sort of seedy sauna', enduring financially lean years early on.
On the podcast, Fallon also discussed how their relationship thrived due to their differing career trajectories. Her success in television production, with credits including Teachers, This Life, and EastEnders, preceded Gervais's rise to fame in comedy. 'I think often if you both want to do exactly the same thing, then I think it's really hard work,' she said.
She added that when she began achieving success, 'Ricky didn't really know what he wanted to do at that point, he was still trying to find his thing. He was just always really pleased for me because I wasn't raining on his parade. And I was helping us get out of the [financial] ditch we were in.'
Fallon emphasised that their separate paths were beneficial: 'We did want to do totally different things, and also, with what happened to him, it was really helpful what my career had been because he wasn't entering this alien, glamorous world. I knew that TV was a really hard slog and it wasn't all people running around having parties and having fun. You work long hours, and I understand the process. So it wasn't like I'd lost him to this incredibly glamorous thing that frightened me.'
Views on Marriage and Shared Life
The couple, who reside together in north London, have been open about their choice not to marry. Gervais has previously commented: '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.' This perspective underscores their pragmatic and deeply committed partnership, built on mutual respect and shared experiences over decades.
