'I stopped': Meloni wins praise from global leaders for quitting smoking

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni received praise from fellow world leaders at the G7 summit this week after revealing that she had quit smoking, marking a significant personal milestone after years of being known as a regular smoker, Independent reported.

The announcement gained widespread attention, as the leader had previously drawn notice for her heavy smoking habit and made headlines after joking that she could “kill someone” if she were told to quit.

The premier has not disclosed details of her journey to quit smoking. However, during the summit, after ordering three coffees, the German chancellor asked, “And a cigarette?”

“No, I stopped,” Meloni replied.

Her response was met with praise from her Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, who congratulated her, saying, “You stopped it. Bravo.”

“Good,” commented European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is a trained medical doctor, after learning that Meloni had quit smoking “a month” earlier.

Meloni once told in October 2025 that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once said to her: “You look great. But I have to make you stop smoking.”

The revelation also prompted a reaction from French President Emmanuel Macron who said: “It is impossible."

“I know, I know,” Meloni replied. “I don’t want to kill somebody.”

Previously, a book Georgia’s Version, based on a series of interviews, Meloni revealed that she had resumed smoking after having quit for 13 years.