Fresh from roasting some of Hollywood's most famous faces at the Golden Globe Awards, Ricky Gervais has sent a brutally funny message to Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow.
Burrow, 37, announced in December 2019 that he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) - a degenerative condition with no known cure.
Thousands of fans turned out for an emotional match at Emerald Headingley Stadium this month to support Burrow and his family, while more than £250,000 has been raised to help pay for his future treatment.
Burrow's former teammate Stevie Ward also approached Gervais on Twitter in the hope that the comedian would send a heartwarming message - but the response wasn't quite what he was expecting.
Gervais says: "Alright Rob, your mate Stevie Ward got in contact and said you were a big fan - thank you - and would I say a few words?
"Which is good of him... or is it? No skin off his nose, is it?
"'Alright mate. Alright Rick. Do us a favour will you?'
"'Oh of course I will, Stevie. I've never met you. What do you need.'
"'Oh, would you say a few words?'
'Tell your mate Stevie to keep his good idea to himself in the future'
"Does he know how f***ing busy I am? That's my job, isn't it. Saying stuff.
"Would I call up your mate Stevie and go: 'Alright Stevie, you're a rugby player. Will you come round to my garden and run round with a b***ock-shaped ball for an hour?'
"No I wouldn't.
"So here's a few words. Tell your mate Stevie to keep his good idea to himself in future. Cheers."
For those who aren't familiar with Gervais' work, it might seem incredibly harsh - but his quick-witted put down seemed to go down well with Burrow, Ward and tens of thousands of others on Twitter.
Ward tweeted to say: "This is what happens when I try to do something for my pal Rob Burrow. Ricky Gervais' DONE with Hollywood. He’s finished off Apple and Amazon. Then he comes for little old Leeds and our funny shaped balls... Stitch up..."
A few hours later, Burrow tweeted the following message: "Oi, Ricky Gervais, Thank you so much for the message, it means everything! Ste Ward got more airtime than me .......annnnnd I think you knew that - STITCH UP!"
How you can donate
A Virgin Money Giving page is currently live and accepting donations, small and large, for Rob and his family. The fund is there to "support Rob in his treatment and his family and three young children under 8 in the years ahead".
To visit the fundraising page and to make a donation, click here
Follow LeedsLive
Download the LeedsLive app - You can download our free app for iPhone and iPad from the Apple App Store, or get the Android version from Google Play.
Click here to join the LeedsLive Whatsapp group and follow the instructions on your phone to receive the latest news updates! Your number won't be shared with anyone else in the group.
Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the latest headlines direct to your inbox!
Follow us on social media: Like our Facebook page here, and follow Best In Leeds for the latest food drink and event news from across the city.
You can also join our Facebook groups: Leeds city centre news, Leeds Traffic and Travel, M62 Traffic and Travel, Emmerdale Superfans , In the Dock court reports and Leeds Festival 2020.
On Twitter you can follow us @leedslivenews.
On Instagram we're @leedslive - tag us in your beautiful pictures of Leeds!
