Ricky Gervais nearly died after drinking a smoothie

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror newspaper, he recalled: "I was just going down to the hotel to film After Life and I had a smoothie. I must have coughed or breathed, and then I couldn’t breathe. I started choking and I couldn’t breathe and my throat closed up and I went on the floor. Jane was worried – and then eventually I got a little bit of air in.

"It was f****** horrible. I thought I was going to die. That’s the closest I’ve come to dying … and it was drinking – drinking a smoothie."

Meanwhile, Ricky previously revealed he would "fall apart" without Jane.

He said: "Jane went to Brighton once to visit her mum, and the boiler went and I didn't know how to do it, so I was on the couch under a blanket with the cat listening to internet radio for two nights, because I couldn't get the telly working and it was like, honestly, it was like 'Castaway'. And then when she went away, next time, she left me instructions.

"She drew a picture of the remotes and what they all did, and I still had to FaceTime her. So I would fall apart without her. I mean, emotionally first. I don't know how I'd cope with it. You don't know, do you?"