Former STAR TREK actor William Shatner smokes so many cigars on the set of his acclaimed new TV show BOSTON LEGAL, they once made him ill.

The veteran actor is often seen closing an episode of the show with a cigar in his mouth, but Shatner admits it's had a very negative effect on his health.

He says, "You know what aversion therapy is? I practiced it with the cigars. In particular, one scene I thought rather than smoking a long cigar - which is what we tend to do because it keeps the smoke away from your face - that if it was a short (cigar) and pull on it, it might look more fun.

"After 20 cigars, I was ill. A sheen of oily sweat came across my brow, and they had to put rouge to cover the green. It was hysterical afterwards, but not during."