They 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.
And worldwide-famous supermodel Bella Hadid appears to be picking up cigarettes again, after being snapped puffing on one while enjoying the sun in Cannes, France.
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.’
Public health officials and campaigns have highlighted the well-documented health effects associated with cigarettes.
Numerous studies have linked them to a higher risk of lung cancer and heart disease — while users have also reported unpleasant side effects including bad breath, yellow teeth and greyish-colored skin.
And with the average pack costing $8 to $12 — or nearly $3,000 a year for the pack-a-day smoker — the habit can take a toll on your wallet.
In the US, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy cigarettes, but there are now anecdotal reports of teens starting to pick up cigarettes again — claiming the habit is ‘cool.’
They say they are smoking cigarettes as a rejection of wellness culture and as part of a 1980s revival, The New York Times reported.
And watching their favorite stars puff away isn’t helping.
Below, DailyMail.com reveals the Hollywood A-listers who still light up.
Ben Affleck: Banned from smoking around his kids
Ben Affleck’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner thought cigarettes were ‘disgusting’ — and banned him from smoking around their children (pictured above in 2022)
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.’
Smoking can leave users with bad breath, yellow teeth and also a yellowing of the fingernails — which can be off-putting to partners.
Affleck’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner also thought cigarettes were ‘disgusting’ — and banned him from smoking around their children.
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
She is no stranger to playing characters who smoke on screen (pictured), but the habit also appears to extend to her private life
Natalie and Paul Mescal are pictured enjoying the shared habit during an evening out in London in May
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.
However, in 1994 at 13 years old, she was dead-set against the habit, saying in an interview: ‘I made my co-star quit smoking’, referring to co-star Jean Reno, with whom she appeared in the movie ‘Leon: The Professional.’
Portman added: ‘I told him it was disgusting… I told him it’s nasty for people around him and it’s not good for him.’
But she seems to have changed her views, as last month she was pictured puffing on a cigarette with Paul Mescal outside a bar in London.
She was also snapped in November catching up with friend over a cigarette during a night out in New York City amid her ‘split’ from ‘cheating’ husband Benjamin Millepied.
Dua Lipa: Tried to quit to protect her voice
Dua Lipa pictured enjoying a cigarette while in Europe in August 2023. She claims to have kicked the habit as of January
Singers often go to great lengths to protect their voice — drinking plenty of water, avoiding caffeine and even steering clear of air conditioning.
But that doesn’t seem to be so for global pop star Dua Lipa, who has been a smoker.
The now 28-year-old 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.’
Doctors warn that smoking can cause the vocal cords to become irritated and dried out, which can lead to shifts in how they vibrate — and the sound that’s produced.
Other famous singers who were previously smokers include Lana Del Ray, Adele and Rihanna.
Jennifer Aniston: Lights up on her birthday
This picture was posted on Justin Theroux’s Instagram in 2022 before being hastily deleted. It shows Jennifer Aniston enjoying a cigarette amid her birthday celebrations
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.
But in 2007, three years after finishing her hit show Friends, she decided to quit — saying the habit was affecting her health, energy and even relationships.
It doesn’t appear she’s regularly picked up the habit again, but it also seems she hasn’t put away her lighter for good.
Bella Hadid: Has smoked a pack-a-day since 14
Bella Hadid (left) shown with a cigarette at the Met Gala in 2017. Later that year she announced she was quitting cigarettes, and then said she was quitting vapes. But in Cannes this year she was photographed once again with a cigarette in hand
Bella Hadid is famed for her beauty and being one of the most recognizable faces in modeling.
But despite her glamour, reports suggest she may be partaking in the not-so-stylish habit of smoking cigarettes.
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.
Many smokers have moved to e-cigarettes as a way to kick the habit, although some then end up hooked on the devices.
Doctors have previously said e-cigarettes are better than smoking, but research is limited and long-term effects have not been documented yet because the devices are so new.
Cigarettes can help to dampen appetite, helping someone to lose weight — making them more popular among aspiring models.
But they can also cause damage to the skin, leading it to age or sag prematurely and have a greyish appearance. Cigarettes can also cause a yellowing of the fingernails and discoloration of the teeth.
Keira Knightley: Rolled cigarettes for her mother
Keira Knightley pictured smoking a cigarette in December 2023 last year in London, UK. She said she started smoking from a young age after she 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.
It was not clear at what age she started smoking, but doctors warn those who start as teens are at higher risk for addiction, reduced lung growth and damage to the heart.
Sophie Turner: Swapped cigarettes for a vape
Sophie Turner pictured with a cigarette and ex-husband Joe Jonas in January 2018. She was later pictured with her vape so often that fans commented it appeared glued to her hand. She was photographed smoking again in December 2023
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.
Turner was not pictured with either, however, following the birth of her first daughter Willa in 2020 and her second daughter Delphine in 2022.
And she has not commented publicly on her smoking habits.
Turner is currently going through a divorce with Joe Jonas, which he filed for in September 2023 — putting enormous stress on the star.
Some smokers say they turn to cigarettes when stressed, claiming smoking helps them relax.
- An earlier version of this article mistakenly reported that Natalie Portman had confessed to ‘doing cocaine and ‘cheating at Harvard’ without including that this had been as part of a parody performance. This was as a result of a regrettable human error, and the article has been amended to clarify the origin of these statements.
Source: Mail Online
