Anti-smoking campaigner dies from lung cancer

Allen Carr, the anti-smoking campaigner whose books helped millions of smokers to give up the habit, has died from lung cancer.

The 72-year-old, who used to smoke 100 cigarettes a day before he quit in 1983, was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in the summer. He died at his home near Malaga in Spain.

Friends of Mr Carr had suggested that the years he spent curing smokers in smoke-filled sessions at his clinics might have contributed to his illness, although his previous heavy smoking habit may also have been a contributing factor.

Mr Carr opened his first clinic in south-west London in 1983 and went on to establish 70 clinics in 30 countries around the world. His books on quitting smoking became bestsellers, making Mr Carr a millionaire.

Celebrities who used his techniques to help them kick the habit include businessman Sir Richard Branson and actor Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Commenting on his illness earlier this year, Mr Carr said: "Given that I am informed that I have cured at least 10 million smokers on a conservative estimation, even if that is the case, it's a price worth paying."

(KMcA)