Hollywood star Kate Hudson has gained weight as she has started eating more food as a substitute for her habit of smoking.

The '200 Cigarettes' star recently quit her potentially-fatal habit as it was starting to take over her life and says she's now appreciating things such as good food, as reported.

"It was starting to drive me crazy! I didn't like the way the car smelt, or my hair and clothes. It takes you away from the family and the things you're doing. You don't realize it at the time. Then when you're done, you go, 'Wow, I do so much more in a day - including eat.' Quitting meant eating more," said Hudson.

The 30-year-old actress also said that the rumours of her being pregnant was due to her sudden increase in weight.

"Then there were rumours in the press saying that I was pregnant. Later somebody said, 'When did you quit smoking?' And I was like, 'Right about the time everybody thought I was pregnant!'," she said.

Hudson, who is dating baseball star Alex Rodriguez, has taken up salsa as a new hobby because it help maintains her figure now that her appetite has increased.

"I've kind of gotten into salsa. It's hard, though. If you do a full salsa session for an hour, you've got to lose an inch. You're pouring sweat. Salsa is really fun," she said.