Barack Obama admits he still smokes

Despite signing the toughest anti-tobacco bill in over 25 years, he confirmed that he still lights up – but never in front of daughters Malia and Sasha.

"There are times where I mess up," Mr Obama said at a White House news conference. "As a former smoker I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No. I don't do it in front of my kids. I don't do it in front of my family," he said.

"I would say that I am 95 per cent cured."

Mr Obama had been urged to quit smoking by his wife Michelle during his 2008 election campaign.

But the pressure of battling Republican presidential candidate John McCain meant that under pressure he succumbed.

He did switch to nicotine patches in an attempt to wean himself of the habit he started when he was a teenager.

Mr Obama refused to say how many cigarettes he smokes or how often he lights up in the White House. More

Smoking is healthier than fascism