Ricky Gervais' partner Jane Fallon shares a positive health update following surgery after being diagnosed with breast cancer

Bestselling author Jane Fallon has shared a positive health update on Instagram on Friday after undergoing surgery following being diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Jane, who has been in a relationship with comedian Ricky Gervais for over 40 years, revealed she had been diagnosed with the disease in March following a routine mammogram.

And ten days after having surgery to remove the tumour and a margin of healthy tissue, Jane shared the positive news that the surgeons have 'basically got it all'. 

She said: 'The surgeon said I can lift some weights so I'm starting with this one [the cat]. Just a little update, all is good, yesterday I had my follow-up and they have basically got it all. 

'What they haven't got is a clear margin around the edge of what they have taken so I am going to have to have another op. 

'It will be just to make sure they get everything, which is a bit of a pain, but it isn't a worry – they just need to make sure they have a clear margin, so will be the exact same operation as last time.' 

Discussing her recovery, Jane explained it was 'much easier' than she expected and she is now not worried for a second operation.  

She continued: 'But I do know now that the recovery is so much easier than I thought it was going to be, this is me ten days later. 

'It's a pain but not a worry at all [having a second op]. So it's good and hopefully next week I will hear after Easter to get it out of the way, and then will have to wait for that to be tested and see where we are. 

'Meanwhile I'm going to try and get a few workouts in and carry my cat around.' 

Jane added in the caption that she is 'lucky' she was diagnosed 'so early' and that it is 'important' for women to get screened. 

She wrote: '(Mostly) good update: Things I forgot to say in the video: I’m still getting fabulous treatment. And I know how lucky I am to have had my diagnosis so early - from a routine mammogram with absolutely no symptoms.

'I’ve had so many conversations with lovely people who’ve come up to me in the street in the last couple of weeks & told me their own personal experiences, and it’s totally rammed home both how different it is for everyone and also how important screening and early diagnosis really is.

'Oh, and as Tamoxifen is one of the options being debated for me I wanted to ask if anyone has experience and how the side effects were. I’ve read they can be rough.'   

Last month, Jane wrote about her diagnosis on Instagram, admitting to fans she had been 'a bit quiet on here lately.'

'About a month ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer – very early stage thankfully & the prognosis is excellent,' she explained.

'I had a routine mammogram a week before Christmas. I had no symptoms but the brilliant radiographer spotted something iffy & sent me for further tests & eventually a biopsy.

'Since then I've had more mammograms, more biopsies and an MRI so they can pinpoint the problem area precisely. It's been a lot, I'm not going to lie.'

She went on to say her surgery was scheduled for the week after next, adding she 'just wants to get it over with now'.

'I'm getting incredible care and all will be fine but I'm not engaging with much beyond audiobooks & jigsaws tbh. Dr Eric on duty. Nurse Pickle wondering when lunch is,' she said.

The writer's career started out in television – before the publication of her bestselling book, Getting Rid Of Matthew, in 2007.

Since then she has released 14 books – with Worst. Idea. Ever, Faking Friends, Just Got Real and Queen Bee among her most widely acclaimed titles.

Harrow-born Jane began her relationship with comedian Ricky in 1982 – after meeting him while they both studied at University College London.

The couple are said to have moved in together in 1984 and they currently reside in Hampstead, west London, with their beloved pets.

Earlier this year, Jane offered a glimpse into her personal life – admitting she has no regrets about her decision not to have children.

She said: 'When I was little, you know the cliche of a little girl is they imagine their wedding day and their wedding dress... it was none of that, ever.

'I would think about getting a dog or something. It was always about work and my life. I would think about the flat that I would live in and stuff like that.

'But I was never into that kind of romance stuff.'

She admitted her anxiety would have made her an overbearing mother, comparing herself to one of her sisters who she praised for finding the perfect balance raising her children.

'I'm a real catastrophist... I assume the worst,' she confessed.

Jane and her partner have also been vocal about their decision not to marry.

Ricky previously stated: 'We are married for all intents and purposes, everything's shared and actually our fake marriage has lasted longer than a real one.

'But there's no point in us having an actual ceremony before the eyes of God because there is no God.'