--- title: "Ricky Gervais to marry Jane Fallon to avoid UK inheritance tax" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/business/ricky-gervais-to-marry-jane-fallon-to-avoid-uk-inheritance-tax" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/ricky-gervais-to-marry-jane-fallon-to-avoid-uk-inheritance-tax" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/business/ricky-gervais-to-marry-jane-fallon-to-avoid-uk-inheritance-tax.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/ricky-gervais-to-marry-jane-fallon-to-avoid-uk-inheritance-tax" category: "Business & Economy" area: "United Kingdom" published: "2026-08-18T10:45:58.397Z" source_reported: "2026-08-18T09:50:31.000Z" updated: "2026-08-18T10:45:58.397Z" trust_score: 54 critic_score: 87 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-18T12:45:59.373587+00:00" --- # Ricky Gervais to marry Jane Fallon to avoid UK inheritance tax *The comedian, 65, told Saga Magazine the decision follows his partner’s breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 54 of 100, higher is better. Trust 54 – multiple independent outlets quote Gervais directly, but no official documents or sourced figures are provided. - Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. Critic 87 – explains tax motive, includes quotes, specific figures, and clear narrative. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Hype 30 – mild emphasis, no clickbait or exaggerated claims. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Ricky Gervais, 65, said he will marry Jane Fallon to avoid a 40% inheritance tax bill on their £142 million estate. - Fallon was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has had two surgeries, which Gervais said prompted the decision. - Unmarried couples in the UK do not receive the spouse exemption for inheritance tax, which applies only to married partners or civil unions. - No right-rated outlet covered the story, though six left- and centre-rated outlets did. Ricky Gervais has said he will marry his partner of 44 years, Jane Fallon, to avoid inheritance tax. The couple’s combined wealth is around £142 million, as reported by EVOKE and the Daily Mirror. Gervais owns a £14.75 million mansion in Hampstead, two New York apartments, and a riverside home in Marlow. Gervais told Saga Magazine that tax was the sole reason for the decision. He said, "It is the reason. If it wasn’t for [tax]… why? How more married can you be?" The UK’s inheritance tax rules do not exempt unmarried partners, meaning estates above the threshold can be taxed at 40%. Fallon was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has undergone two surgeries. EVOKE reported that surgeons said they had "basically got it all". Gervais said the diagnosis had made the decision more urgent. "It’s horrible isn’t it? I’ve got to get around to marrying, before I die." ## How long the couple have been together EVOKE reported that Gervais and Fallon have been together for 44 years, since meeting at University College London in 1982. The Daily Mirror reported the figure as 30 years. The Independent and IBTimes UK did not specify a duration in their digests. ## What the coverage left out No right-rated outlet ran the story. None of the digests from the left or centre mentioned the value of the inheritance tax bill Gervais would avoid, though EVOKE’s full report carried the 40% rate. The Daily Mirror did not report the couple’s combined wealth or the value of Gervais’s properties. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (3) - Centre: 50% (3) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-18T12:45:59.373587+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 9 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-18T13:00:23.547Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The Daily Mirror led on Gervais’s admission that tax was the reason for the marriage, quoting his remark that "it’s horrible isn’t it? I’ve got to get around to marrying, before I die." It also reported Fallon’s cancer diagnosis and surgeries, and Gervais’s comments on assisted dying. - The Independent’s digest mentioned Fallon’s cancer diagnosis but did not carry Gervais’s direct quotes or the tax details. IBTimes UK’s digest led on the inheritance tax angle, calling it a "sharp U-turn" on Gervais’s previous opposition to marriage. ### Centre - EVOKE led on the tax reason, quoting Gervais’s remark that "it is the reason" for the marriage. It also reported the couple’s combined wealth, Fallon’s cancer diagnosis, and the value of Gervais’s properties. The Evening Standard’s digest noted only that the couple had been together since 1982 and had chosen not to marry. Internewscast’s digest did not specify what it led on. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 2 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [comicbasics.com](https://comicbasics.com/ricky-gervais-says-hell-finally-marry-jane-fallon-after-40-years-but-only-for-tax-reasons) — Ricky Gervais Says He’ll Finally Marry Jane Fallon After 40 Years, but Only for Tax Reasons - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/ricky-gervais-girlfriend-marry-wedding-b3034784.html) — Ricky Gervais reveals the one thing that would make him marry his longtime partner - [IBTimes UK](https://ibtimes.co.uk/ricky-gervais-marry-jane-fallon-inheritance-tax-1814827) — Ricky Gervais Makes a Sharp U-Turn on Marriage at 65 to Avoid Hefty Inheritance Tax - [Evening Standard](https://standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/ricky-gervais-house-of-lords-press-association-b1293767.html) — Ricky Gervais says he would marry longtime partner to avoid inheritance tax - [EVOKE.ie](https://evoke.ie/2026/08/18/entertainment/celebrity/ricky-gervais-jane) — The very practical reason Ricky Gervais is considering marriage... after 44 years - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/ricky-gervais-to-marry-jane-fallon-after-44-years-together) — Ricky Gervais to Marry Jane Fallon After 44 Years Together - [Daily Mirror](https://mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/ricky-gervais-jane-fallon-marrying-37560873) — Ricky Gervais finally vows to marry Jane Fallon 'before he dies' for ... ## Questions **Why is Ricky Gervais marrying Jane Fallon?** Gervais said he will marry Fallon to avoid a 40% inheritance tax bill on their £142 million estate. Unmarried couples in the UK do not receive the spouse exemption for inheritance tax, which applies only to married partners or civil unions. **How long have Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon been together?** EVOKE reported they have been together for 44 years, while the Daily Mirror reported 30 years. The outlets disagree on the duration, and the Independent and IBTimes UK did not specify a figure in their digests. **What prompted the decision to marry now?** Gervais said Fallon’s breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year made the decision more urgent. She has undergone two surgeries, and Gervais told Saga Magazine, "I’ve got to get around to marrying, before I die." --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/business/ricky-gervais-to-marry-jane-fallon-to-avoid-uk-inheritance-tax. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Ricky Gervais to marry Jane Fallon to avoid UK inheritance tax", https://mediabias.news/business/ricky-gervais-to-marry-jane-fallon-to-avoid-uk-inheritance-tax