Gogglebox star, 67, admits being addicted to vaping despite having NEVER smoked as they outline desire to quit
Gogglebox star Mary Killen has disclosed that she has developed an addiction to vaping at the age of 67, despite never having smoked cigarettes in her life.
The Channel 4 fan-favourite is best known to fans for offering her opinions on the latest TV opposite husband Giles on the programme.
The television personality, made the admission in a column in which she penned: “The other day I was congratulating myself for the fact that I seem perfectly able to spring out of bed at around 6am each morning, even when I’ve been up till 2am.”
She then realised the early rising was due to her body craving nicotine from her electronic cigarette.
The media personality and etiquette expert has now resolved to quit vaping after learning about its impact on children’s health.
Killen explained that her vaping journey began “a couple of years ago when the rather cool 22-year-old son of a friend offered me a puff of his Juul, which is an elegant black rectangular stick.”
The friend’s son told her: “It’s just like smoking a cigarette but without the cancer.”
She found the experience appealing, noting: “I loved inhaling the odourless air and blowing it out again. It just looked so chic and felt cooling in the palm of the hand.”
Despite successfully avoiding cigarettes throughout her youth, even when peers pressured her to smoke, Killen found herself purchasing replacement pods when the gifted device ran out.
She reasoned that having “at least one addiction” would make her more socially acceptable in drinking circles, particularly as she doesn’t consume alcohol either.
The television personality now spends approximately £14 weekly on four Juul replacement pods, with each pod containing roughly the equivalent nicotine content of 20 cigarettes.
She acknowledged: “Nicotine is highly addictive and I now waste about £14 a week on four Juul replacement pods.”
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The addiction has begun affecting her behaviour and relationships. “If I run out of replacement pods, I become self-pitying and argumentative,” Killen admitted.
She noted that quitting would prove challenging, joking that she would “probably kill or be killed by my family members if I tried to go cold turkey at home.”
The widespread nature of vaping has also removed any peer pressure to stop, as she observed that “everywhere I look, other people are vaping, too.”
The turning point in Killen’s decision to quit came after a friend urged her to read information on the Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals website.
Professor Pallav Shah, a consultant in respiratory medicine, reported that “children have begun being admitted to hospital over the past few years with vaping-related disorders, which can range from worsening asthma symptoms to lung damage.”
This revelation proved decisive for the Gogglebox star. “That has swung it for me. I knew there must be a problem with it,” she stated.
Despite previously citing research suggesting vaping poses “a small fraction of the risks of smoking” and even potential benefits of nicotine, the reports of children’s hospitalisations prompted her immediate resolve to break the habit.
Killen has chosen to tackle her addiction through Allen Carr’s smoking cessation programmes. The bestselling author, who died from smoking-related causes, established a successful business offering courses to help people quit tobacco.