HARRY POTTER star DANIEL RADCLIFFE frequently puffs cigarettes while in non-smoking hotels to avoid the ranks of photographers waiting outside.

The British actor is adamant he hates exploiting his fame to get special privileges but admits it comes in useful when he wants to indulge his nicotine habit in public buildings.

He tells U.K. magazine Seven, "They let me do it here so that I don't have to stand outside. There will be photographers, not for me, but just because they hang around smart hotels... It's pretty much the only thing I exploit my position for, to be allowed to smoke inside."