Ben Affleck Spotted Clutching a Pack of Marlboro Cigarettes Years After Promising to Quit Smoking

Ben Affleck is known to be a heavy smoker, and according to a close friend, the Batman star used to smoke a pack a day back in 2002. As per the Irish Examiner reports, Affleck confessed on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2008 that he had indeed quit smoking: "I finally decided to quit smoking when I was gonna have a child. That was the thing that sort of put it over the top for me. My last cigarette was on November 10, 2005... I feel a huge difference in my health now that I don't smoke. I feel like I'm in better shape than I was five years ago." But recently, the Air actor has been spotted smoking during outings in LA, reports Page Six, the Good Will Hunting actor was photographed clutching a carton of Marlboro cigarettes as he looked inside a black backpack in a parking lot. 

Affleck was at the scene to pick up his kids—daughter Seraphina, 14, and son Samuel, 11—from a skateboarding class. He looked handsome and dressed in a casual outfit. The Justice League actor was sporting a gray T-shirt and jeans. Seraphina wore khaki shorts, Adidas sneakers, and an oversized graphic T-shirt with her black hair streaked with red. Samuel, meanwhile, was seen wearing gray sneakers, khakis, and a green polo shirt. As per reports by Marca, Affleck was recently caught smoking inside Jennifer Lopez's $450k Rolls-Royce. The Triple Frontier actor seemingly enjoyed his puffs in front of his health-conscious wife. Speaking about the excessive habit, award-winning hypnotherapist Max Kirsten told The U.S. Sun: “It must be challenging because Ben and JLo have this extraordinary love story where they've gotten back together, married, and merged their two families. It’s remarkable that despite Ben’s chronic and entrenched smoking habit, they're somehow making this work."

“It's really tough if one person in a relationship is putting up with someone who's still smoking and loves them very dearly. Deep down, JLo will be hoping that Ben’s going to quit smoking very soon, but she won't be putting pressure on him.” "Ben's clearly in the middle of a long-term cigarette addiction, but I'm sure he wants to give up," Kirsten explained further. “He hasn't yet found a lasting way to quit and likely can't imagine being happy without smoking. Ben doesn't know how he’d cope with life without a cigarette in his hand any more. A lot of smokers don't respond well to pressure and so it's key that the partner is gently encouraging rather than negatively telling them off."

“JLo would be encouraging Ben to do more regular exercise to avoid unwanted weight gain from slower metabolism and comfort eating. She should be asking him to take up better stress management techniques and ultimately encourage him to seek professional help. But she'd be thinking of ways for him to find a healthy replacement." “Despite how she feels, JLo wouldn't be putting pressure on Ben because smokers can get very defensive and they don't like it. It'd be crazy for Ben to carry on smoking and risk not being around for all his loved ones," Kirsten concluded.