Hypocrisy of the secret celebrity smokers: All the ‘wellness-loving’ stars who can’t resist lighting up

From pop stars and Hollywood actors to wellness gurus, there are many celebrities whose fans would never expect them to smoke a cigarette or vape. 

Rita Ora and her husband Taika Waititi were the latest stars to surprise fans, as they lay out a platter of cigarettes for their A-list celebrity friends to enjoy at the director’s 50th birthday party in Ibiza.

And they are not alone, because the habit, which has been widely socially shunned since the 2007 smoking ban, is now au fait again – at least in celebrity circles.

Dua Lipa and Sabrina Carpenter are among the Gen Z starlets who have been pictured sparking up.

Meanwhile, Liz Hurley, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston – who all have very healthy lifestyles – are among those who have been caught secretly lighting up.

Despite campaigns raising awareness into the dangers of smoking – the habit remains the most common cause of preventable disease in the UK, raising the risk of cancer, heart disease and strokes – aim to try and make England ‘smoke free’ by 2030, with less than 5 percent of people smoking.

Perhaps it’s the stress of life in the spotlight, but a surprisingly high proportion of famous faces seem to enjoy a cheeky cigarette, including the famous faces below…

Elizabeth Hurley 

Despite being involved with raising awareness for breast cancer for many years, Elizabeth committed quite the faux pas when she opted to have a cheeky cigarette.

In 2014, Elizabeth was pictured sitting in a car with the window down alongside longtime friend Patrick Cox, and she was seen puffing away as the vehicle drove off.

It came shortly after an appearance on Sky News as part of her breast cancer awareness scheme.

Various studies have shown that smoking tobacco increases a person’s risk of developing the disease.

During the interview, Elizabeth spoke out about the pain caused by her grandmother’s death from the disease as she revealed she wants to speak openly about breast cancer to help other women.

She said: ‘My grandmother didn’t really speak about it at all, when she found her lump she was too scared to tell the doctor, she didn’t know anything about breast cancer.

‘She assumed it was a death sentence, and unfortunately it was for her.’

Elizabeth’s grandmother passed away from the disease in 1992, and she recently recalled the time she showed her her scars from a double mastectomy before quickly changing the subject which she deemed to be taboo.

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning, she added: ‘At that time, there was no pink ribbon, nobody talked about breast cancer, magazines didn’t have pink months, nobody was selling products to raise money for research.’

Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa surprised fans in January, when she was spotted smoking with fiance Callum Turner as they packed on the PDA in Paris despite her proudly declaring that she’d kicked the habit last year.

Sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower, Dua, 29, and Callum, 34, didn’t seem to have a care in the world as they only had eyes for one another while puffing on the cigarettes.

However, during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers the pop star explained that she initially gave up smoking for her Future Nostalgia tour in 2022.

The singer revealed she had kicked the habit in order to make sure her vocal health was at its best – before announcing she had stopped altogether.

She told host Seth: ‘I was smoking cigarettes at the time… But I’ve stopped. I’ve quit, guys.’

It is not clear exactly when the Houdini hitmaker began smoking, but after suffering from laryngitis in December 2021 she explained she felt the need to quit for the sake of her tour and later gushed about how much ‘confidence’ quitting had given her.

Speaking on her At Your Service podcast, she revealed: ‘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 I have stuck to it.’

Smoking raises the risk of infections and inflammation in the voice box, while doctors warn that it can also 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. 

Jennifer Aniston

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 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.

Jennifer, 56, 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.

Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega shocked her young fans and was hit by plenty of backlash on social media after being seen smoking cigarettes in London in 2023, while filming Beetlejuice 2.

However, the worst shade directed towards the 22-year-old star came from her own mother, who took to her Instagram Story to make some very thinly-veiled posts about the dangers of smoking.

Jenna’s lookalike mother Natalie works as a nurse and made sure to promote health to her followers as she posted over a dozen times.

Among them was a meme of Lord Of The Rings character Gollum with text which quipped: ‘Don’t believe those lies about cigarettes being bad for you. I’ve been smoking for most my 21 years and I feel great!’

Next Natalie shared an image of yellow and rotted teeth, with the warning: ‘Yellow teeth are the most notorious effects of long-term smoking, but the dental damage doesn’t stop there.

‘People who smoke tend to develop gum disease, persistent bad breath, and other oral hygiene problems. Smokers are twice as likely to lose teeth as nonsmokers.’

And she later posted a message about duties as a mother which read: ‘A mother is always a mother.

‘She never stops worrying about her children, even when they are all grown up and have children of their own.’

Gwyneth Paltrow  

She famously espouses a healthy lifestyle and dedicated workout regime, but even Gwyneth Paltrow enjoyed a sneaky cigarette back in the day.

The 52-year old admitted she allowed herself one cigarette per week in the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar U.S. edition back in 2013.

When asked about her guilty pleasures, the actress, who has her own healthy eating cookbook, said: ‘My one light American Spirit that I smoke once a week, on Saturday night.’

The actress went on to quit smoking but admitted to Holly Willoughby on her podcast in 2022 that, ‘I miss the cigarettes’ as she reflected on her crazy younger years.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie was once a secret smoker, but she has since opened up about the habit.

The actress shared that before her turn as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider almost 25 years ago, she smoked two packs of cigarettes a day.

In a Q&A with film critic Leonard Maltin at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier this year, Jolie recalled playing the video game heroine, and how the role forced her to get healthy.

‘I admittedly came [in] smoking two packs a day and completely had to change my health and my life and discover that I could do things I didn’t know I could do,’ she said.

She added that the 2001 movie would go on to ‘change everything’ for her.

Jolie went on to explain that she trained ‘really hard’ for Tomb Raider, which forced her to break out of her vices.

Her new fit lifestyle led to her dropping her smoking routine, swapping it out for a healthier normal.

‘For Tomb Raider there were a few months of just nothing but multiple training sessions a day: morning, noon and night,’ the Oscar-winning star recalled. ‘And I didn’t want anything but good food, water, and sleep at a certain point.’

‘I was in training and that’s what your body [wants]… You change,’ Angelina told Maltin.

Once the film was completed, the Hollywood vet said about smoking cigarettes: ‘I never did it again…Well, I think I did once or twice.’

Rochelle Humes 

While she’s known for her healthy lifestyle and incredible physique, Rochelle Humes has still shown she is partial to a cigarette.

The singer turned businesswoman was snapped enjoying a smoke with the This Morning crew back in 2021 .

Joined by Phillip Schofield and Dermot O’Leary, the group all looked in very good spirits as they congregated outside for a cigarette break, with Rochelle seen exhaling clouds of smoke while having a laugh with her showbiz pals.

Abbey Clancy  

She’s known for her jaw-dropping figure and toned physique.

But when she isn’t posing up a storm for fashion and lingerie campaigns Abbey Clancy is fond of a cigarette.

The model has been snapped numerous times over the years enjoying a smoke while out and about with friends and night outs with husband Pete Crouch.

Abbey was most recently seen in February 2023 as she smoked between takes as she filmed her Paddy Power advert in Cheltenham.

The star was seen outside her trailer as she indulged in a cigarette while looking stylish in a beige trench coat and tweed hat.

Previously Abbey had been spotted getting through a fair few cigarettes to steady her nerves in 2011 ahead of her wedding to Peter.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen  

They began their career as babies on Full House before transitioning into the fashion world with several hugely successful brands, including The Row.

And Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen soon shed their child star image, as they became famous for often being snapped enjoying a smoke break together, particularly outside The Row’s New York City office.

There is even a dedicated Instagram account to pictures of the twins smoking called @mka_smoking, which boasts over 12,000 followers.

The bio on the page – which has been featured on Variety – reads: ‘There’s nothing quite as soothing as a pic of Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen smoking.’

While it was reported that there were ‘bowls and bowls filled with cigarettes’ at Mary-Kate’s wedding to former husband Olivier Sarkozy in 2015, with a source declaring: ‘Everyone smoked the whole night’.

Ben Affleck  

Ben Affleck picked up smoking in 2002 when he used to get through a pack a day, according to Marca.

And even his two A-list ex-wives were unable to get him to kick the habit, with the actor’s smoking photos repeatedly going viral online.

Before their short-lived marriage ended last year, Jennifer Lopez was reportedly trying to get Ben to quit the unhealthy habit in April last year.

An Insider told OK! magazine : ‘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.’

Ben’s first ex-wife Jennifer Garner also thought cigarettes were ‘disgusting’ — and banned him from smoking around their children.

The director tried to quit in 2005 when he was expecting his first daughter Violet, who is now 19 years old.

But in 2017, he was seen to have picked up the cigarettes again and is said to get through an entire pack in a day when he’s stressed, with his smoking photos becoming a viral meme.

Ben was photographed smoking as recently as Wednesday night, as he puffed on a cigarette on the Los Angeles set of his sixth feature directorial effort Animals.

Ant McPartlin 

ITV presenter Ant McPartlin has in recent years swapped his bad smoking habit for an e-cigarette.

The I’m A Celebrity host has been spotted out and about puffing on the a vape while out walking his dogs near his home in south west London.

Previously Ant had been seeing lighting up cigarettes while taking a break on set filming Britain’s Got Talent and his former hit show with co-host Dec Donnelly, Saturday Night Takeaway.

After an exhausting few takes, the Geordie duo enjoyed a quick break – with Ant seen enjoying a cigarette away from the camera.

Becky Hill

When UK songstress Becky Hill shared snaps of her recent adventures across the Pond, including at Coachella and in LA, there was one image that evoked more comments than the rest.

The Crazy What Love Can Do singer shared an image of herself and DJ Charlie Boon lighting up during the transatlantic trip last month – only to be chastised by some of her followers.

Some expressed surprise that the singer was a smoker, while others suggested the unhealthy habit would damage her award-winning vocals.

One fan wrote: ‘I think you are awesome but please don’t glamourise smoking’, while another added ‘Can’t believe you smoke’ with a sad-faced emoji.

A concerned commenter added: ‘It can ruin your singing voice too – be careful Becky.’

Others defended her right to drag on cigarettes if she wants to, saying: ‘Why is everyone so sour about the smoking? Let her do what she wants.’

The music artist has been spotted enjoying a cigarette on a night out for years, including while celebrating winning her first ever BRIT Award back in 2022.

Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter recently posed for an Instagram snap with a cigarette in her mouth, which she held in place using a fork. 

However, it is unclear if the cigarette was a prop for one of her music videos or if she has taken up the habit. 

Speaking to The New York Times about celebrity smokers, Jared Oviatt, the creator of the Cigfluencers Instagram account, said he has seen a rise in photos of celebrities appearing glamorous as they take a drag from their cigarettes.

When he first began the account in 2021, Jared said he was having to search the archives for such photos, but now there are ‘at least one or two people’ snapped while smoking ‘every week’.

After a dip in portrayals of tobacco on-screen, Hollywood is embracing cigarettes once again. In Celine Song’s new film Materalists, Dakota Johnson’s character Lucy smokes throughout the film, holding a cigarette as she flirts with her ex, played by Chris Evans.

Last year, a report by Truth Initiative , a non-profit organisation that campaigns against smoking, found that the number of movies featuring tobacco has increased for the first time since 2002 when researchers began tracking it in top films.

The health organisation’s analysis found that eight of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars contained tobacco imagery, with 41% of the top films released in 2023 showing tobacco compared to 35% in 2022.

It also found that popular TV series streamed on platforms like Netflix and HBO are exposing young people to tobacco imagery. According to Truth Initiative, hit teen dramas like Euphoria and Stranger Things were among the most popular shows with tobacco content, as were animated series like The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers.

The popularity of cigarettes has been nosediving since the 1960s, as growing awareness of the health risks put people off the habit. But up until as recently as 2007, before indoor smoking was banned, it was normal to enter a pub, club, restaurant and even the workplace and be greeted by a cloud of smoke.

The indoor smoking ban, introduced by the Labour government at the time, was hailed at the time as the greatest advance in public health for half a century and followed a long campaign that began in the 1950s.

While tobacco use remains at an all-time low, with figures showing only 11.9% of UK adults smoking as of 2023 , the rise in celebrities having a puff could be seen as cause for concern

Statistics from HM Revenue and Customs also show that tobacco sales have declined significantly. However, some experts are worried that the black market for tobacco is thriving , as high prices of cigarettes and other tobacco products send smokers searching for cheaper, albeit illicit alternatives.

But a new survey by Action on Smoking and Health appears to show that the British public is unswayed by the rich and famous’s preference for a smoke.

The polling, carried out by YouGov of over 11,000 adults in England , show that two-thirds (68%) of the public support the ‘Smokefree Generation’ policy, which would ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2009.

It also found that 65% of people in England want to live in a country where no one smokes, while nearly half 45% believe the government is not doing enough to tackle smoking.

Smoking remains a primary concern for the government, as it seeks to bring down the 80,000 preventable deaths caused by smoking in the UK each year.

In 2023, former prime minister Rishi Sunak vowed to crack down on smoking through his flagship Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which proposed a ban on vaping and smoking outdoors and aimed to ban young people from ever being able to smoke legally .

Prime minister Keir Starmer confirmed in November that his government would not go ahead with the outdoor smoking ban as it would impact the hospitality sector, which is already struggling with rising operational costs and declining profit margins .

However, the nationwide ban on vapes came into effect on June 1, and it is now illegal to sell single-use disposable vapes. The government also plans to extend the indoor smoking ban to specific outdoor spaces, such as children’s playgrounds and areas outside schools and hospitals.