These celebrities push their green juice cleanses, sunrise yoga classes and wellness retreats, but behind their healthy public personas, some ‘it’ celebrities hide a nasty habit — cigarette smoking.
America’s best ‘friend’ Jennifer Aniston, who was a chain smoker early in her career, was caught lighting up again on her 53rd birthday.
Statistics show fewer people are lighting up traditional cigarettes than ever. Among those aged 18 to 24 years old, five percent smoked in 2022, a quarter of the 19 percent in 2011, while among adults just 12 percent smoke today — half the number from a decade ago.
But experts worry that as celebrities once again glamorize the deadly habit, smoking could become ‘in’ again — and be taken up by a new wave of young people.
Former New York City health commissioner Dr Mary Bassett said previously: ‘When young people see glamorous stars smoking and flouting the law, it undermines the progress that has been made in de-normalizing smoking.’
Ben Affleck: Banned from smoking around his kids
Amid rumors of the collapse of his marriage to Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck may be lighting up more than ever, as stress has been found to be a significant risk factor for cigarette smoking.
The 51-year-old picked up smoking in 2002 when he used to get through a pack a day, according to Marca.
Lopez was reportedly initially relaxed about the habit after their ‘fairytale’ wedding in 2022, but in April this year, she changed her tune.
An Insider told OK! magazine in April: ‘JLO loves Ben, but she’s tired of his nasty cigarettes. She put up with his smoking at first because it’s his only vice left and she didn’t want to be a nag, but she can’t stand it.’
Affleck tried to quit in 2005 when he was expecting his first daughter Violet, who is now 18 years old.
But in 2017, he was pictured with cigarettes again and has been seen smoking as recent as this year when he was snapped holding a pack of cigarettes as he picked up his children from skateboarding and while on a morning walk.
Natalie Portman: From weed to cigarettes
Newly-single Natalie Portman is no stranger to playing the part of a smoker and plenty of her previous acting roles have seen her characters light up.
But that habit appears to also feature in her life off screen, with the actor seen enjoying an occasional cigarette.
Portman, now 42, previously joked on SNL she was big into weed and cocaine while she was at college – but she has never confirmed it as fact.
However, in 2011, she did tell Entertainment Weekly: ‘I love stoner comedies. I smoked weed in college, but I haven’t smoked in years. I’m too old. I wish I was that cool, but I’m like an old lady now. I’m in bed by 10 pm I can’t do that anymore.’
At some point, she also appears to have picked up cigarettes — although she has not spoken publicly about her habit.
Dua Lipa: Tried to quit to protect her voice
28-year-old Lipa said she finally kicked the habit earlier this year in an attempt to protect her voice.
But this was only after suffering from laryngitis — an infection of the voice box that can change someone’s voice — in 2021 and a failed attempt to quit the following year.
Smoking raises the risk of infections in the voice box, which can cause inflammation in the area — changing someone’s voice and making it harder to sing.
The star said on her podcast: ‘I had laryngitis in December and that kind of kickstarted me quitting smoking a month earlier than I was supposed to. But I did it and have stuck to it.’
Other famous singers who were previously smokers include Lana Del Ray, Adele and Rihanna.
Jennifer Aniston: Lights up on her birthday
Despite her good-girl image, Jennifer Aniston has a long history of smoking, which she has said she’s since quit.
But in 2022, the now 55-year-old actress and wellness advocate was pictured lighting up amid her birthday celebrations.
Her ex-husband, Justin Theroux, posted a video of the actor lighting a cigarette before it was quickly deleted off his Instagram story.
Aniston has admitted she was a chain smoker for years early in her career, regularly making her way through a pack of cigarettes a day.
Bella Hadid: Has smoked a pack-a-day since 14
Last month, the 27-year-old was photographed with a cigarette in her mouth while attending the Cannes film festival in France.
Fans were quick to respond, with one writing: ‘Throw away your vapes, Bella Hadid just made smoking cigarettes cool again!’
Ms Hadid has not addressed the photographs or commented on her smoking.
The model has, however, admitted in the past she started smoking at the age of 14 when she said she would regularly get through a pack a day.
‘Whether it was eating disorders or smoking… I’m like, “Oh, this is what all of the kids are doing,”‘ she said.
The model says she resolved to quit in 2017, and then made it her New Year’s resolution to also quit her JUUL vape in 2019.
Sophie Turner: Swapped cigarettes for a vape
While Sophie Turner said she turned in tobacco cigarettes for vapes, she was pictured in December puffing on the traditional vice as she enjoyed a coffee in London.
The Game of Thrones star reportedly smoked at times, being snapped with cigarettes in 2018, but later took up vaping — with her e-cig appearing so often fans asked whether it was ‘glued’ to her hand.
The addiction was so bad she would even reportedly burst into tears when she was separated from her vape, with X-Men co-star Jennifer Lawrence revealing she cried on set after the device was taken away.
Keira Knightley: Rolled cigarettes for her mother
The global acting powerhouse Keira Knightley is also known to be a smoker.
The 39-year-old was snapped puffing on a cigarette in London in December last year while filming her new Netflix thriller ‘Black Doves.’
The star was reportedly a big time smoker on movie sets, according to Elle — having first tried cigarettes at a young age with her mother and playwright Sharman Macdonald.
Knightley said in a previous interview: ‘She’d come up to my room, have me roll her cigarettes and then tell me I had to have one with her.
‘It’s not the typical mother-daughter thing, but we were extremely close.’
She appeared to quit in 2012, when she reportedly chastised a director for smoking while filming ‘Can A Song Save Your Life,’ but it doesn’t seem to have stuck according to recent photos.
