WENN

Penelope Cruz developed a bad smoking habit by portraying characters who puffed away onscreen.

The actress, who quit before becoming a mom, reveals she developed a nicotine habit on sets like Blow and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

“I’ve never drunk alcohol, but I smoked for a few years because one of my characters did,” she tells Stella magazine. “I quit when I decided I was going to be a mother.”

Now, as a mom, Cruz likes to adopt a healthy lifestyle, which begins with a good night’s sleep: “I try to get eight hours of sleep if I can, and I’ve started meditating again recently, which really helps me to appreciate the present moment. Just like the gym works the body, meditation allows you to calm the mind. Practising it daily improves my ability to relax.”