01 Aug 2006

Anti-smoking guru has lung cancer

Allen Carr, a British anti-smoking advocate whose books and international clinics have helped millions of people quit smoking, has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Carr, 73, quit his 100-cigarette-a-day habit 23 years ago. Since then, he's written international bestsellers on kicking the habit and has established 70 stop-smoking clinics in 30 countries, BBC News reported.

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Richard Branson are among the celebrities who have benefited from Carr's methods for quitting smoking.

A spokesman for Carr said it's not possible to tell if the lung-cancer diagnosis is linked to Carr's previous cigarette smoking, the BBC reported.

"Allen has spent many years in smoke-filled rooms since he quit, whilst treating smokers for their addiction," the spokesman said. "He is certain that, had he not quit, he would have been dead 20 years ago. He remains in high spirits and sees this latest stage in his remarkable life as an opportunity to make his method even more recognised and widely available." – (HealthDayNews)