Ricky's rich feelings of guilt

COMEDIAN Ricky Gervais reveals today how he struggles with feelings of guilt about his wealth following the success of The Office.

Ricky Gervais Ricky Gervais

The 45-year-old, who grew up as a working-class boy on a Reading council estate, tells Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs: “I went through a period of guilt just having a nice life. It was just, ‘Why can’t everyone have what I’ve got?’.”

One of the most confusing experiences, he says, was being offered as much money as his labourer father used to earn in a year – for just 20 minutes’ work.

“I was offered a couple of adverts. And the reason I did it was because the first one was my dad’s salary for 20 minutes. I felt guilty about doing it, then I felt guilty about not doing it because, who was I to turn them down?”

Even though the cult TV show propelled Gervais, right, to superstardom, winning six Baftas and two Golden Globe awards in the US, he couldn’t quite enjoy it.

“I was so proud of The Office. It was the thing I had tried hardest at in my life and I got 10 out of 10. I realised that meant more to me than anything else and when the royalty cheques came in it ruined it a bit.” Desert Island Discs is on at 11.15am today.

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?