RICKY Gervais has been left heartbroken after his beloved cat Ollie died today at 16 years old.
The animal lover, 56, mourned the loss of Ollie on Facebook and Instagram, and his army of followers shared their condolences.
Ricky told fans on social media: “Just had to say goodbye to the sweetest little soul I’ve ever known.”
The comic also shared photos of sweet Ollie, an adorable Burmese, and wrote: “RIP Ollie July 9th 2003 – March 10th 2020”
One of The Office star’s followers replied: “My heart breaks for you and Jane, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Another fan, who loved seeing Ricky’s many updates and photos of Ollie on Instagram, said: “Goodbye sweet Ollie. You will be missed by so many.”
Ricky describes himself on Instagram as a “Movie Director. Writer. Actor. Stand up Comedian. Creator of The Office, Extras, Derek, An Idiot Abroad, The Ricky Gervais Show” and as an “Animal Avenger.”
The star and his partner, Jane Fallon, had set up an account for Ollie on Twitter which saw him get 62 thousand fans.
Ricky and Jane have been together since 1982 and have chosen not to marry because “there’s no point in us having an actual ceremony before the eyes of God because there is no God.”
When talking about why they haven’t had children, the comic told The Times that they “didn’t fancy dedicating 16 years of our lives. And there are too many children, of course.”
The After Life star has been a longstanding supporter of animal rights having recently backed new animal cruelty laws.
Last year Ricky took to Twitter and vented his disgust at footage of the Rapa das Bestas festival which sees wild horses corralled into small arenas.
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Ricky used his huge online platform, including 14.2 million followers on Twitter and 2.3 million on Instagram, to blast the Spanish horse wrestling festival as “absolute filth”.
The star is a vegetarian – but hasn’t gone completely vegan yet.