AceShowbiz - British funnyman Ricky Gervais once turned down a $1.5 million (1 million pounds) pay cheque to perform a stand-up gig at a Hong Kong bank - branding the lucrative offer "disgusting." The actor was asked to fly to the region for a 40-minute set at a corporate event, but he insisted it was too far to travel.

And Gervais refused to change his mind when bank bosses offered to fly him over in a private jet in a bid to persuade him. He says, "I was offered a million pounds to do 40 minutes at a Hong Kong bank. I said, 'No'."

Recently, Ricky Gervais vowed to embark on a healthy diet after he made himself ill by devouring 12 sausages in one sitting. "The Office" star has taken up a grueling fitness regime in recent months, and has recently been snapped jogging on the streets of London looking noticeably slimmer.