'Ultimate loss' Ricky Gervais admits his 'soulmate' Jane was inspiration for After Life

express.co.uk:

The Mirror to promote the recently-released third series of his Netflix comedy, Ricky said that his "soulmate very much inspires the show".

After Life is centred around a grieving widower named Tony, whose mental health takes a drastic toll following the death of his wife who died of cancer.

Speaking to the publication about the similarities between the protagonist's life and that of his own, the comedian said: "I don't think I've ever been lonely.""I don't think I've ever suffered from depression or despair like Tony.

I've seen it."You don't get to 60 without seeing most things. I've lost both parents and a sibling, and all my pets and some friends."He continued: "But the ultimate for me would be losing my soulmate.That's the worst thing that could happen to me.So, it's an imagination, a fiction, that stems from that."The Derek show creator, who is also credited as a writer on his popular Netflix series, went on to discuss whether the topic of death was something that he thought about in his own life.Ricky insisted that while he's "pro assisted dying", he doesn't ponder when he's going to die. "I'm not the sort of person that goes around going, 'I think I'm going to die one day,'" he shared."All I know is that I want to die well.