Ricky:
Comic Ricky Gervais tells Closer’s Katie Banks about his devotion to his cat Ollie and his fight for our four-legged friends
“I prefer animals to people”
He’s one of the funniest H men on the planet and regularly rubs shoulders with Hollywood’s glittering A-list but, behind the scenes, Ricky Gervais has always been a committed animal rights activist, supporting campaigns to end cruelty and making a stand against the horrendous sport of trophy hunting.
And when he’s at home in London’s Hampstead with his partner of 36 years, writer Jane Fallon, 57, he says his Siamese cat Ollie – who has his own Facebook and Twitter page – is the centre of his world.
RULING THE ROOST
Speaking at Pup Aid, a charity set up to put an end to cruel puppy farms, he laughs, “Ollie rules the roost in our house and I absolutely love him. He’s quite scary, though – he sits by the window guarding our house and the postman is so terrified, he won’t come up to the door any more.
“I’ve always wanted to get a dog, but I think Ollie’s just too possessive. A poor dog really wouldn’t stand a chance!”
Ricky, 57, has previously admitted his love for his cat was one of the reasons he’d never consider children, saying: “I’d worry sick about a baby. I have a cat and I worry about that. I check the door three times before I go out. I put food and water in every room in case the door closes and he’s peckish for 20 minutes.”
And Ricky, who made his name as The Office’s David Brent in 2001 and will star in Netflix’s After Life later this year, tells Closer that, on the whole, he would rather hang out with animals than people.
DOG LOVER
He laughs, “I love watching dogs eating when they’re slobbering everywhere and making lots of noise wolfing something down. When I see a human doing that, I just want to punch them in the face.
“I prefer animals to people – the world is a much nicer place with their little faces. I can’t abide cruelty towards animals in any form. It’s completely wrong. We need to be kind to them because they make us better people.”
● Pup Aid campaigns to end the cruel puppy farming trade. For more info, visit Pupaid.org