JOSS STONE - STONE GETS HER SMOKING FACTS WRONG

British singer JOSS STONE shocked guests at a heart disease benefit, by singing the praises of cigarettes. The star was one of a number of celebrity guests at a New York Fashion Week bash on Saturday (2FEB08) to promote U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) annual Heart Truth awareness campaign. When asked what she did to protect her heart, Stone, 20, revealed she smoked hand-rolled cigarettes - which she wrongly claimed are less harmful than pre-packaged ones. She told the New York Daily News, "In England we smoked rolled cigarettes. It's better to smoke rollies than straights because straights have chemicals that keep them burning. So if you have to really smoke, smoke rollies." A 2006 study established hand-rolled cigarettes are actually more likely to cause lung and oesophageal cancer.