Before & After Photos Of Female Stars Who Ditched Smoking

People in the United States must be getting the message that smoking isn't worth it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of smokers in the country has been dropping for decades. However, just under one-fifth of all adults still use tobacco products (11.6% of whom specifically use cigarettes), meaning there's still some work to do.

That said, some female stars have decided to ditch smoking. For many of them, the decision was based on the health benefits of quitting smoking, such as how fast the respiratory system starts to heal. For example, merely 20 minutes after someone stops smoking, the heart stops pumping as hard; after 24 hours, the person's risk of heart attack drops. By the five-year mark, a former smoker's body has recovered enough to substantially decrease their chances of getting cervical, mouth, bladder, throat, and other cancers.

Quitting cigarettes can lead to other advantages as well. Dermatologists say ex-smokers can expect improvements in your skin and appearance after you stop smoking. Quitting smoking may also improve mental well-being, especially for people with anxiety or depression. Consequently, the following female celebrities who have stopped smoking cigarettes have benefited from their decision.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

During a 2012 GQ interview, Jennifer Aniston casually wrote off a rumor that she was pregnant by announcing that she'd given cigarettes the boot. Said Aniston, "I recently quit smoking, and you do put on some extra pounds. It makes a difference, especially if you're not 20." At the time, she was in her early 40s. Starting yoga was apparently what helped Aniston quit smoking – a fact she shared in the introduction she wrote for the book her yoga trainer authored – proving that exercise can help you quit smoking.

In a 2001 essay in O, The Oprah Magazine, model Christy Turlington celebrated her decision to quit smoking. However, she also admonished the beauty industry that treated her disrespectfully after she gained weight as a result. She rhetorically asked, "Why am I allowing them to pick me apart and criticize me and my body after I've done such an amazing thing for my health?" As Turlington told The Cut in 2017, she lost her father to lung cancer when she was 27, solidifying her determination to live smoke-free.

During a 2020 guest appearance on the "New Music Daily Radio with Zane Lowe" podcast, singer Lady Gaga revealed that she used to smoke 40 cigarettes daily, but became one of many stars who quit smoking cold turkey. She described the quitting process as brutal, and also affirmed her commitment to never smoke again. Additionally, in a 2024 Vogue interview, she revealed that it had been years since she stopped smoking marijuana, a habit that can also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Singer Adele used to smoke 25 cigarettes each day, but she ditched smoking in 2011, after doctors told her she would ruin her voice if she kept up the habit. However, it wasn't just their warnings that prompted Adele to quit her long-time love affair with nicotine, but also the realization that she was harming herself. Speaking to The Mirror, she shared, "If I'd carried on smoking, I'd probably have died from a smoking-related illness." According to the World Health Organization, more than seven million people die annually due to tobacco use.

Cameron Diaz used to smoke 20 cigarettes daily, but eventually decided to quit. "I gave up because my parents were upset that I was smoking so much," she admitted (per Glamour). "I was into roll-your-own, and I was killing myself." Diaz might not have realized it, but her choice could have prevented other people from smoking. Seeing Hollywood stars taking drags on cigarettes may give impressionable young viewers a reason to do likewise — and get just as hooked as Diaz once was.

The year 2019 was a big one for Halsey because she kicked a 10-year cigarette smoking habit. At the time, she was 24, which means she started smoking when she was a young teen. Halsey took to X to tell her fans the good, bad, and ugly about her journey: "I gained a lot of weight and probably lost some friends forever [because] I was being a NUT (lol) but I'm so happy I did it and I feel v goooood. just wanted to share." Fans responded to her announcement with messages of congratulations and support.

Many former smokers use technology to help them stop, including Katherine Heigl. For Heigl, that meant using electronic cigarettes. "You feel like you are smoking, and you get to exhale but it's just water vapor and not nicotine. I've been doing it for six months," she told Parade in 2010. Heigl eventually went back to smoking cigarettes, though; it wasn't until her pregnancy in 2016 when she reaffirmed her commitment to stop. "I had tried to quit several times in the past," said Heigl (via Yahoo!). "As soon as I got pregnant, I was fine."

Uma Thurman knows you shouldn't underestimate the power of nicotine gum to stop someone from quitting cigarettes. She called quitting in 2005 the "biggest struggle of [her] life," but apparently gum helped her get through the rough spots (via Glamour). Thurman has since expressed great relief at finally being able to quit. As she told The Guardian in 2006, "Thank goodness I've unhooked myself from the slavery of nicotine." A year later, in a Harper's Bazaar interview, Thurman said, "My evil old buddy is gone."

Though Catherine Zeta-Jones had publicly talked about quitting smoking as far back as 2005, she reportedly kicked the habit in 2011 after her husband Michael Douglas contracted throat cancer. Zeta-Jones overcame her nicotine cravings by using electronic cigarettes to get her through the cessation experience. In a 2021 interview with the Toronto Sun, she attributed her youthful appearance to her smoke-free lifestyle, as well as her regular self-care routine: "I don't drink and I don't smoke [...] Now, I cleanse my skin much more gently that [sic] I ever did before and I stay active. I work out."