Ricky Gervais reveals huge move to protect property fortune

Ricky Gervais is planning to marry his partner of 44 years to protect his property portfolio from a hefty tax bill. The 65-year-old star admitted financial reality had forced him to tie the knot with best-selling novelist Jane Fallon to avoid a 40 per cent inheritance tax hit when one of them dies. Unmarried couples in the UK do not benefit from partner tax exemptions, leaving the comedian’s real estate collection exposed. The funnyman, who is worth an estimated $275m (£141m), owns a $28.8m (£14.75m) nine-bedroom mansion in Hampstead, two New York flats, and a riverside estate in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, where he recently won approval to build a $9.75m (£5m) mansion. The proposed new residence will feature a grand entrance hall, home gym, drawing room, reading area, lift and master bedroom with a terrace overlooking a tennis court and pond. MORE: ‘Just not fun’: 90s star’s sad confession at 72 DWTS judge quits US for shock job in Aus Hugh Jackman lover’s $3.5k-a-night cash grab Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon pictured in 2020. Picture: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Ricky Gervais’ current Marlow House. Picture: RBWM Council The Office star revealed in Saga Magazine that the taxman is the ...