It was five o’clock in the morning. I was at my desk already, trying to scrape together as much usable time as possible before going to the shoot. My first cigarette, at 4.30 am, burned my lungs. I remembered my NJOY. Actually, I lie, I’ve been avoiding it, the way I used to avoid the cabbage on my plate when I was a kid and didn’t have a choice about eating vegetables. I don’t want to quit, but I know it’s good for me.

I didn’t have time to go downsairs for a normal smoke, and the wind could have frozen a volcano. So I sat at my desk, puffing away, watching the light at the tip blinking, and wondering what Tracy McGregor thinks of the product. She is the face of NJOY, and I’d been invited to meet her, and see some behind-the-scenes action as the ads were being filmed and photographed. I was excited – sipping coffee and inhaling nicotine at the gorgeous Linger Longer restaurant in Sandton certainly beats sitting in the office, playing Scrabble! (Thursdays tend to be quiet after the rush of Wednesday deadline.)

As I arrived, waiters were busy preparing the restaurant for the day, avoiding the tripods and camera equipment, and milling people. There was a very tall man giving instructions, who I discovered was Mark Taitz, MD of NJOY. Tracy was having her hair flat-ironed, and seemed most unperturbed by the bustle around her. I hadn’t met her before, and didn’t realize she was a smoker. I blurted that out. “I smoke like a trooper,” she admitted, in her husky voice. When I asked later how the electric device compares to normal cigarettes, she admitted “It takes some getting used to”, but she certainly seemed to be puffing with gusto.

Just not quite enough, though. More smoke was needed to show up on camera, so Mark piped up, “You gotta suck slow and hard.” There was a moments’ silence as we digested the totally unintetional implications then everyone burst out laughing. “We’re going to need more wine,” Tracy joked.

A little later, the chef strolled through to see what was happening. Tracy exhaled a perfect cloud of smoke, and he was obviously surprised. “Is that smoke,” he asked, and as Mark was explaining the that it’s actually water vapour, Tracy piped up, “Actually, it’s just my breath.”

It was a pleasant surprise discovering Tracy’s dry sense of humour, and spending the day watching how beautiful adverts are built, but duty was calling. But I’m looking forward to the NJOY launch party this Saturday, 27 June, at Tokyo Sky. Tracy and her sister, Kerry McGregor will be there, as well as loads of other celebrities, so it should be fun. And at least I’ll be able to smoke inside, as long as I remember to charge my NJOY battery!