It wasn’t until I ‘gave up’ trying to get him to quit that he was able to do it on his own.

Explain to your boyfriend how hard it is and how much you want to quit. But explain that you need to do it in your own time and that his pressure is making you feel guilty that you can’t quit and doing nothing to help you actually stop.

Quitting smoking requires self-esteem. You have to say “I am worth more than this. It is not ok for me to be doing this to myself. This is the only body and the only life I’ll get and I have to look after it.”

You can’t give yourself that honour, commitment, and love until you stop feeling guilty about this.

My husband also said that Alan Carr’s Stop Smoking book really worked for him. There’s a version for women as well as the original is geared towards men.

Most hospitals and health centres will offer stop smoking services and if you’re in the UK the NHS offers it for free all across the country.

Tell your boyfriend and then get help. It’s a hard thing to do on your own, let alone without the support of your partner.