Ricky Gervais thinks his modest background showed him the ''value of everything''.

The 58-year-old actor comes from a working-class family and in spite of his own fame and success, Ricky insists he hasn't lost sight of what's important to him.

The 'Office' star - who is an outspoken supporter of animal rights - told The Sun newspaper: ''It showed me the value of everything.

''People ask me why I dress like a tramp. And I say, 'My clothes are clean and comfortable. Who am I trying to impress?' I don't wear £50,000 watches. I don't collect cars because I can't drive.

''Nothing gives me more of a buzz than to help an animal. I don't get excited about things. I'm not a hippie or communist, I think money's for the safety of your family and friends, and you can't take it with you.''

Meanwhile, Ricky previously admitted he feels stung by some of the criticism that comes his way.

The comedian is well-known for making controversial jokes during his stand-up routines - but Ricky revealed he's constantly wrestling with his own ideas.

Asked whether he ever edits himself, he shared: ''Every day. I lie awake every night going: 'Should I say that? Can I defend that? Is anyone going to take that personally? Is that cruel?' Everything I do.''

Ricky also believes his critics underestimate the amount of preparation he puts into his comedy shows.

He said: ''This is what gets to me: I do a routine to about 800,000 people live on tour, it goes on Netflix and is watched by 40 million people, then someone does a snobby blog and thinks they've put more thought into a joke than I did. No! I've been working on every one of those routines for a year.

''They've been road-tested to millions of people. This is tested on humans!''