Gogglebox's Mary Killen, 67, addicted to vaping after 'never smoking cigarettes'
Gogglebox star Mary Killen has revealed that she has become 'addicted' to vaping in her 60s as a lifelong non-smoker.
The 67-year-old TV personality appears on the Channel 4 reality show with her husband Giles, with the pair amusing the nation with their upper class aesthetic and, occasionally, out-of-touch commentary on the hottest cultural topics.
They've been dubbed everything from 'posh' to 'eccentric' with their unique brand of humour and have been a staple on the show for a decade, after joining in 2015.
For the most part, casual viewers have pieced together an image of their cottage-dwelling life from snippets they've revealed on the show and Mary's past as an author, Spectator columnist and etiquette expert.
Now, she has opened up about a vice that has haunted her in her later years – vaping, in a new column for Mail Online.
The media star explained that she only picked up the habit 'a couple of years ago' after having a puff from a Juul offered by her 22-year-old son of a friend.
Mary revealed that she had 'never been interested in normal cigarettes' and would even 'decline' smoking them during her younger years when all her peers were, somewhat influenced by the fact that her father was a doctor.
She doesn't even 'drink alcohol'.
As for the appeal of the vape (which her son's friend casually gifted to her), she explained: '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.'
Soon enough, she found herself buying 'replacement pods', reasoning that it would 'be good if I were to appear to have at least one addiction' and allow her most social acceptability in 'drinking circles'.
There is currently no long-term research on the health effects of vaping, with the NHS cautioning against taking up the vice if you do not smoke, while Mary herself cited one UK health website which even advocated for the benefits of nicotine as a 'stimulant'.
According to the NHS website, 'nicotine vaping is less harmful than smoking' and is used as a tool for those looking to quit cigarettes.
The website stipulates, however: 'Vaping is not completely harmless and we don't know yet what the long-term effects may be.
Children and non-smokers should never vape.'
She added, however: 'Nicotine is highly addictive and I now waste about £14 a week on four Juul replacement pods, each one delivering roughly the same amount of nicotine as 20 cigarettes.'
'And the addiction is a problem, because if I run out of replacement pods I become self-pitying and argumentative.'
All this (as well as new studies on the impact on children's health) has prompted her to make a new resolve to quit vaping, although she joked she would 'probably kill or be killed' by family members is she went 'cold turkey'.
Ultimately, she called the habit 'very enjoyable' with no especially scary health risks, and there was easy access to 'feed' her addiction. More Trending
On the screen, Mary and her husband remain a controversial inclusion to the Gogglebox line-up.
In February, they faced backlash from viewers after they commiserated about a by-election in which there had been a massive swing against the Conservative party with fans calling them 'insufferable' and 'utterly unbearable'
View More »
Then, in March, Mary got into hot water after calling Stephen Graham 'that actor who always plays short northerners' during the height of Adolescence's popularity.
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an hour ago
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Gogglebox's Mary Killen admits she's addicted to vaping
Gogglebox fan favourite Mary Killen has revealed that she's become 'addicted' to vaping in her 60s, despite having never smoked a cigarette - as she reveals her plans to quit Googlebox fan favourite Mary Killen has revealed she's become addicted to vaping, despite never having smoked cigarettes. The star rose to fame in 2015 on Channel 4's Gogglebox as she and her husband Giles have the nation in hysterics every week as they sit down to watch the latest TV shows. Despite knowing the ins and outs on their thoughts on the latest episode of Love Island, fans aren't privvy to much of the Gogglebox stars' personal life. However, Mary has now opened up about an addiction she just can't shift - vaping. Mary, who says she was never interested in cigarettes, revealed that she picked the habit up two years ago, when her friends son, James, 22, offered her a puff of his Juul. "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," Mary wrote in her column for MailOnline. James allowed Mary to keep the vape, and she later found herself buying replacement pods when it ran out. "I reasoned that it would be good if I were to appear to have at least one addiction. "I would be 'levelling myself down', so to speak, in a way that could make me more socially acceptable in drinking circles," she wrote. However, her habit doesn't come cheap, as she explained in her column that she "wastes about £14 a week on four Juul replacement pods." She then questioned how to break the expensive habit, which she also admits self-pitying and argumentative when she runs out. Mary admitted she'd "probably kill or be killed by my family members," if she tried to go cold turkey - revealing that she was going to sign up to a course to help people quit vaping. It's not the only revelation Mary has made in her column. Recently, she told viewers about her controversial sleeping arrangements, telling fans she and Giles allowed the dogs on the bed. Mary and Giles met when they were both 21 years old while Giles was studying at Wimbledon Art School and Mary was working as a model. The pair have been blissfully married for over 30 years, most of which time they have spent living at their cottage in Wiltshire. The stars share two grownup children who prefer to stay out of the limelight. However, it was actually one of Giles' daughters that were originally due to appear on the show with her dad before she backed out at the last minute. After a lengthy phone call to producers, Giles managed to convince Mary to join the show - and the two have become fan favourites ever since their arrival. Little more is known about Mary and Giles' daughters however it has been revealed that they are both grown and no longer live at home with their parents.
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Gogglebox's Mary Killen, 67, addicted to vaping after 'never smoking cigarettes'
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