Ricky Gervais proved a ray of sunshine for many during the lockdown, recording live Q and A sessions with fans to lift their spirits.
Though restrictions have eased, the 59-year-old comic has continued to film live chats with his fans, cracking jokes and lifting the lid on more personal areas of his life.
His final question during this evening’s session referred to his parents, Jerry and Eva, who passed away just as Ricky’s career was beginning to take off.
Ricky’s parents raised the stand-up star with his sister and two brothers in Reading, settling in the suburb of Whitley.
One fan, named Susie, asked: “Hi Ricky, were your parents still around to enjoy your many successes?”
Ricky revealed his mother Eva passed away after a battle with lung cancer first, followed shortly by his father Jerry, who died after the release of the first season of The Office.
Ricky Gervais opened up about his parents during a Q and A session on Twitter this evening
He said: “Not really, no. My mum died before The Office. I think my dad might have seen one, the first series, he lasted like a year and a half after.”
Though his parents passed away before he became a global sensation, Ricky made it clear they were happy with their son’s achievements in his life.
He said: “I hope they didn’t worry about me. I tried not to be too much of a burden. I tried not to complain too much about anything.
“Because of that, I didn’t want to burden them. You don’t want them to feel… you don’t want your parents to worry about you.
Ricky revealed his mother Eva passed away before he filmed The Office (Image: BBC)
“So when they go ‘are you alright?’ You go ‘yeah, I’m alright’.
“You don’t want to go, ‘no, I’m hating life. I’ve got no f*****g money. I’m p***ing in the sink. No, I was always happy.
“They knew I was always happy. It wasn’t like they were sitting around going ‘I hope he becomes an international comedian before we die’.”
The After Life creator reflected on his first stint on the 11 o’clock show back in 1999, where he performed comedy sketches and a stand-up routine.
Ricky Gervais has gone on to become one of the world’s most beloved comedians (Image: PA)
With a smile on his face, he remembered: “My mum saw a little bit of it, on the 11 o’clock show. I remember I went home after the 11 o’clock show and she was sort of proud of me, but embarrassed at the same time.
“She said to our neighbour: ‘Here’s the one, the one on telly. I didn’t teach him to swear like that!'”
Wrapping up the Q and A, Ricky thanked Susie for her contemplative question, before adding that his parents would have been delighted to see him happy in life – with his fame simply an added bonus.
He added: “They both knew I was happy, and I always have been. For them, it would have been irrelevant.
“Thank you, lovely question to end.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
