Jane Fallon diagnosed with cancer in 'routine' check after having no symptoms - 'my prognosis is excellent'

Best-selling author Jane Fallon has revealed that she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer and will soon undergo surgery. Known for her skill with words when it comes to her fiction, she was just as eloquent and moving in her recent Instagram post as she shared deeply personal updates on her own real life.

Jane, who is also the long-term partner of comedian Ricky Gervais, acknowledged she’d been "a bit quiet" on the platform lately and explained she’d received her diagnosis "about a month ago". Thankfully, she shared that it was a "very early stage" and her prognosis is "excellent".

"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," she wrote.

Spotting the signs of breast cancer can be incredibly difficult and Jane Fallon’s experience shows that it’s possible to not have any symptoms at all. Since then she’s had further mammograms, biopsies and an MRI so that doctors can "pinpoint the problem area precisely".

She added, "It’s been a lot, I’m not going to lie. But, my surgery is scheduled for the week after next and I just want 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."

Ending her message on a lighter note, she nodded to the second and third pictures in her post which featured a teddy bear and her cat dressed up as a doctor and nurse - Dr Eric on duty and Nurse Pickle "wondering when lunch is".

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, making up 15% of all new cancer cases and according to Breast Cancer Now, women over 50 who have been through menopause make up about 80% of these cases. Jane Fallon’s transparency when it comes to her diagnosis serves as an important reminder that vigilance and routine checks can be life-saving.

Her mammogram meant that her cancer was discovered very early and this can make a huge difference. Dr Amir Khan, woman&home’s resident GP advises, "never delay getting changes checked. Knowing your normal could save your life".

Jane Fallon’s comments have been flooded with heartfelt messages of support and she’s amassed fans across the world with her writing. She’s published 14 books to date, starting with her debut novel, Getting Rid of Matthew, which came out in 2007. This is being adapted into a movie starring Emma Roberts, Luke Wilson and Heather Graham.

She previously worked as a TV producer herself and told Hello!’s Second Act podcast earlier this year about how she dramatically switched careers in her 40s after the idea for Getting Rid of Matthew came to her one night.

"I think in perimenopause, women go mad in a really good way; really brave and bonkers," she said. "We get a flush of hormones that means women in their fifties look incredible and get this kind of bravado. I woke up at 4 am and suddenly thought I had a good idea for a book. The next day, I went into work and told everyone that I was taking a year out."

"If I hadn't done that, my next 20 years would have been completely different. It meant that I was finally doing what I’ve wanted to do my whole life," she declared.