Ricky Gervais baffled by illness retweets

Ricky Gervais has admitted that he cannot fathom the trend of celebrities retweeting messages for ill fans.

The Life's Too Short comedian said that although he will happily oblige in the practice, he is unconvinced as to whether his acknowledgement would genuinely help people in need.

"Quick. Everyone knows some c**t who is dying of something," he wrote. "A retweet will make them feel better about it for some reason. #DrTwitter... I have RT'd a few myself. My beef is with the fake ones."

He added: "Everyone eventually dies and there is no afterlife. Please RT to help raise awareness...Enjoy life. Have fun. Be kind. Have worth. Have friends. Be honest. Laugh. Die with dignity. Make the most of it. It's all we've got."

Gervais did, however, retweet a post joking that Cancer Research could beat the disease by starting a Facebook group.

Gervais recently shed tears for his late mother while discussing Christmas plans in a webchat.

"It usually gets me this time of year," he admitted. "That's what's special about Christmas. It's when you visit or reminisce about the ones you love. And reflect on how lucky you are. How they helped shape you."

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