Ladies In Hollywood Who Managed To Quit Smoking & Reaped The Health Rewards

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The risks of smoking are well-documented. After all, cigarettes have long been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, lung damage, poor circulation, a depleted immune system, and even a diminished sense of taste and smell. And people who smoke are more prone to dry skin and wrinkles, and their hair is often duller and more brittle. That should be enough incentive to never pick up a cigarette, but even people who have long been in the habit of smoking can still benefit from quitting. "A lot of older people might think that there's no point in quitting after decades of smoking, but our study suggests that quitting even later in life is linked with slower cognitive decline," epidemiologist Mikaela Bloomberg told NPR in 2025.

In fact, plenty of Hollywood A-listers have quit smoking later in life and reaped the benefits. Former long-time smoker Cameron Diaz confessed that she regretted ever picking up smoking, but that she believed that there was value in changing course at any age. "Never stop trying to quit because every minute counts," she advised in an interview with InStyle (via Woman's Day).

For years, despite her reputation as a high-profile wellness influencer, Gwyneth Paltrow permitted herself to smoke a single cigarette a week. "It's what makes life interesting, finding the balance between cigarettes and tofu," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2021, revealing that her go-to indulgence was 'my one light American Spirit that I smoke once a week, on Saturday night.'

Eventually, though, the actor quit for good when she married Brad Falchuk in 2018. While sorting through the paperwork of her new marriage, a clause in her life insurance policy brought Paltrow face-to-face with the health risks of smoking. "It said that if anything happened to me and they knew that I had smoked a cigarette, it would nullify the whole thing," she told Vogue UK. "Because I'm such an Enneagram 1 — which is like, 'integrity is everything' — I never smoked again."

But while she might miss her weekly cigarette, Paltrow doesn't regret quitting. In fact, in 2026, when InStyle asked what beauty tip she wished she could give her younger self, she responded, "Not to smoke! I'm battling those cigarette lines from my youth." She takes a holistic approach to beauty and is focused on long-term health. "When I was younger, I used to smoke and drink tons of alcohol and eat whatever, and now, obviously I'm far more mindful about that," she told Coveteur in 2025. "So all those kinds of things I think really do come into play."

Actor Catherine Zeta-Jones reportedly weaned off smoking after her husband, fellow actor Michael Douglas, was diagnosed with Stage IV throat cancer in 2010. By then, the brunette beauty had spoken for years about quitting, telling the Irish Examiner in 2005, "I have to stop as my kids are at an age when they are going to start asking questions."

Still, Zeta-Jones didn't quit cold turkey. In fact, she raised some eyebrows when she was photographed still smoking around her then-ill husband, and some tabloids of the era reported that tension over Zeta-Jones' addiction was pushing the couple toward a breaking point. However, ultimately, they resolved their differences, with Zeta-Jones gradually transitioning to e-cigarettes and, eventually, giving up smoking entirely.

Over a decade later, though, it appears Zeta-Jones takes pride in having conquered her addiction. These days, she's very wellness-focused and credits quitting smoking with helping her to maintain an elegant glow. "I don't drink and I don't smoke," she told the Toronto Sun in 2021. "I've always looked after myself — but as you get older, I find you have more of a [regimen]. Now, I cleanse my skin much more gently [than] I ever did before and I stay active. I work out."

Over the course of her career, actor Cameron Diaz transitioned from avid smoker to dedicated health advocate. Into her late twenties, cigarettes were a fixture in her life, but she eventually decided to stop. In part, it was out of necessity, given the intensity of her fitness training to prepare for "Charlie's Angels." It was also for her family. "I gave up because my parents were upset that I was smoking so much and I was setting a bad example. It preyed on my conscience," Diaz revealed to Glamour in 2014. "I was into roll-your-own, and I was killing myself."

Since then, Diaz has bloomed into a wellness proponent, having authored two books that advocate a science-backed approach to self-care: "The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body" and "The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time." Throughout both books, Diaz is candid about her history as a smoker, frank about the consequences, and zealous about the benefits of quitting.

Chrissy Teigen is among the celebrities who have given up alcohol and reaped the rewards, but it seems that the former model has also cut out another major vice. "I'm just furiously chewing Nicotine gum," she told Access Hollywood in 2025. "Don't smoke. Smoking's bad, just stop now if you can. I've been an on-and-off smoker for too long, and I've stopped for the last time, and I'm very proud of myself." The reveal was characteristically frank, since Teigen has long been known for her candidness.

Shortly after, Teigen followed up the announcement with an Instagram story indicating she had also cut out vaping. "I'm sooo happy to not be tethered to this f***ing BEAST anymore!!!" wrote Teigen (via Us Weekly). Getting away from recurring cravings can be a major incentive to quit smoking, which is also great for your mental health. "You're no longer worrying about where or when you can smoke, how you smell or who might see you," respiratory therapist Kristin Bauer revealed to the Jefferson Health Living Well blog. "People often feel a huge lift in self-esteem after quitting ... [they] feel more in control."