Ricky Gervais Says He Has Extreme Health Fears – But Avoids the Doctor Anyway

Let’s be honest—most of us have been there. You feel an ache, notice a weird lump, or Google something that leads you down a rabbit hole until you’re convinced you’ve got minutes to live.

Turns out, Ricky Gervais is just like the rest of us.

The 63-year-old comedian is currently on tour with his new stand-up show Mortality. And yep, the irony of that title isn’t lost on anyone after his hilarious and super real chat on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week. Ricky opened up about his health habits, or rather, his lack of them.

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“Everything just hurts now”

Ricky started the convo by talking about how getting older is no joke. He said, “When I get up in the morning and walk downstairs, it’s like I’ve got false legs. They are like stiff pirate legs.”

Okay, who hasn’t felt that before? You roll out of bed, stretch, and your knees crack like a glow stick. Welcome to the club, Ricky.

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And when Jimmy Kimmel asked if he ever talks to doctors about these aches and pains?

Ricky’s response was peak Ricky:
“No, because that’s admin.”

Admin! The man literally thinks seeing a doctor is too much paperwork. Honestly, that hit home. Between booking an appointment, finding a parking spot, waiting in the lobby with three coughing toddlers next to you—it is a lot.

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Google: Doctor or Death Sentence?

Instead of a check-up, Ricky has another method. He asks his long-time partner Jane Fallon first. She’s a TV producer and author, not a medical expert—but that doesn’t stop Ricky.

Here’s how it usually goes:
Ricky: “I found a lump, what do you think that is?”
Jane: “Go to the doctor.”
Ricky: “But do you think it’s serious?”
Jane: “I don’t know!”

So then, like a true millennial (yes, even at 63), he hits Google. He types in his symptoms, scrolls the results, and for the first few minutes, things seem fine.

“Oh it’s probably stress. Maybe something I ate.”

But scroll down just a little more?

“Number seven says cancer. I go ‘Jane, I’m dying!’”

This is literally the universal experience of Googling your symptoms. It always escalates to something fatal. Got a headache? Probably dehydration. Or a brain tumor. Depends how far you scroll.

DIY Health Care: Ricky Style

Even when things are clearly wrong, Ricky still resists seeing a doctor. He shared a story about breaking a tooth on a Kettle Chip right after Christmas. His response?

“If I had a drill, I would’ve done it myself.”

Let that sink in. A drill. He said he’d try anything before going to a professional. Ointments, pills, home remedies—if it’s in the medicine cabinet, Ricky’s on it.

But wait, it gets better (or worse?).

He had a skin tag on his eyelid. What did Ricky do?

Grabbed some nail scissors and just snip. No numbing, no sterile tools, just vibes.

“I was in pain and gnawing through it. It was bleeding. I came downstairs and Jane was like ‘Are you f**ing mad?’”*

Her exact concern? Sepsis. Meanwhile, Ricky smeared Savlon (that’s like Neosporin for the Brits) and called it a day.

Let’s just say WebMD has nothing on Ricky’s DIY solutions.

One Doctor Visit in a Decade

He does go to the doctor… but only once every 10 years. And only when something feels truly life-threatening.

He told a story from when he was a teenager, showing off his biology knowledge by saying he had pain in his “epididymis.” The doc took one look and said:

“Your jeans are too tight—they’re squeezing your balls.”

That’s it. That’s the visit. And apparently, that’s the bar Ricky has for making an appointment. Unless your Levi’s are out for revenge, don’t expect Ricky to show up at the clinic.

Why This Hits Home

Ricky never straight-up said he has health anxiety, but it’s pretty clear he’s got it. And guess what? That’s more common than most people think.

In the U.S., illness anxiety disorder (yup, it’s a real thing) is officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. If you’ve ever felt obsessed with every little body sensation and assumed the worst, you’re not alone.

According to the NHS, trained therapists or anxiety meds can help if you’re dealing with this regularly. You can even self-refer for therapy in some places, no doc needed. That’s good news for people like Ricky who’d rather wrestle with a pair of scissors than fill out a health form.

And hey—if you’ve ever gone down a Google spiral or hesitated to call your doctor because you thought you were being dramatic, Ricky’s your guy. He’s living proof that even someone as sharp and successful as him still panics over every lump and bump… just like the rest of us.

So next time you’re clutching your phone, trying to decide if that weird toe pain is from your sneakers or something worse, remember: You’re not crazy. You’re just Ricky Gervais-level normal.