Jerry O’Connell has revealed that hypnosis and a strict rule from his wife Rebecca Romijn finally helped him quit smoking after decades of struggling with nicotine.

Speaking on the Work in Progress With Sophia Bush podcast O’Connell shared that Romijn refused to physically touch him while he was still smoking.

“My wife said she would not touch me if I smoked, and that lasted about two months,” he said. “No contact. My wife said, ‘I’m not touching you anymore until you quit smoking.’”

After weeks without physical affection the actor said he knew something had to change. Although he tried to quit on his own he found it difficult.

Determined to break the habit O’Connell turned to hypnosis after hearing about a friend’s success.

He recalled visiting a hypnotist and being asked to bring a photo of his wife and children.

“I sat down on her recliner, she put headphones on me, there was spa music, and she started counting down,” he said. “And I fell asleep.”

When he woke up the actor admitted he thought he had simply paid for an expensive nap.

“I was like, ‘That was baloney. What a joke. I can’t believe I just gave some old lady $800,’” he said.

But the real test came moments later. Sitting in his car O’Connell put a cigarette in his mouth and tried to light it.

“I wanted it so bad,” he said. “I couldn’t light it. I swear to you.”

The former Stand by Me star said he has not smoked in about 14 years since the session.

O’Connell credited hypnosis and Romijn’s firm boundary for helping him finally quit after years of addiction.