Obama takes to nicotine gum to kick the butt

London, Dec 10 (ANI): US President Barack Obama is working hard to get rid of his smoking habit and is chewing nicotine gum instead, said the White House.

Spokesman Robert Gibbs said he hasn't come across any evidence of Obama smoking in probably nine months.

"This is not something that he's proud of. He knows that it's not good for him. He ... doesn't like children to know about it, obviously, including his," the Telegraph quoted Gibbs as saying.

The U.S. surgeon asked the spokesman about the president's smoking habit in the wake of a report General Regina Benjamin that said cigarette smoke causes immediate damage to a person's lungs.

"He understands its dangers, and I think has done a lot of extraordinary work to wrestle with that habit, as millions of Americans have," Gibbs added.

He further stated that he believes Obama is still chewing nicotine gum to relieve the desire for tobacco and the president's last physical examination in February said he needed to continue tobacco cessation efforts. (ANI)