Italy’s Giorgia Meloni quits smoking, wins praise from global leaders

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni drew admiration from several global leaders during this week’s G7 summit after sharing that she had successfully quit smoking. Meloni has been known as a habitual smoker for years, and as such, it was a major personal milestone. The revelation quickly attracted attention, especially since Meloni had long been associated with heavy smoking and had previously joked that being forced to quit might make her “want to kill someone.” During the summit, the topic came up when, after requesting three cups of coffee, the German Chancellor jokingly asked whether she would also like a cigarette. Meloni responded simply, saying she had stopped smoking. Italy's Meloni says she quit smoking at G7 Summit. pic.twitter.com/Z3NFztqS6m — Clash Report (@clashreport) June 16, 2026 Her announcement prompted positive reactions from fellow leaders. Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi praised her decision, saying, “You quit. Bravo.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has a medical background, also welcomed the news after learning that Meloni had given up smoking about a month ago. Meloni has not publicly explained how she managed to quit. However, she previously shared in October 2025 that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once complimented her appearance before telling her he wanted her to stop smoking. The news also sparked surprise from French President Emmanuel Macron, who reportedly reacted by saying, “It is impossible.” Acknowledging the difficulty, Meloni replied that she understood and joked that she did not want to “kill somebody.”