World Vegan Day 2022: These are the stars who 'love animals more than people'

As the year rolls on into November, the world marks Vegan Day today (01.11.22) to emphasize the health benefits of cutting out all animal products from our diets. Some of your favorite celebrities have been cutting out meat and dairy for years, whether that is for ethical reasons or to benefit their own help. Read on to see which of the biggest stars have spoken out in favor of animal rights and embraced a vegan lifestyle.

The 'Summer of 69' rocker made the decision to go vegan when he was in his late 20s and feels heatlhier because of it at the age of 62. He said: "I stopped eating animals including fish when I was 28 and I’ve never looked back. If you want to see your health improve and you care about the planet, go vegan."

The 'About Damn Time' hitmaker decided to go vegan in 2020 after following a vegetarian diet for several years and recently insisted that she does not follow the lifestyle to lose weight. She said: "I’m not a vegan to lose weight, I just feel better when I eat plants. I feel very lucky because I don’t feel that weight gain is bad anymore. Nor is weight loss – it’s neutral!"

The 'How Soon Is Now?' singer has been vocal about his vegan lifestyle for much of his 40-year career, even penning a song titled ‘'Meat Is Murder' whn he fronted rock band The Smiths in the 1980s and has explained that he refuses to eat antyhing that "once had a mother" but prefers to eat "stodge" and heavy carbs over plants. He said: "I refuse to eat anything that had a mother, that’s obvious. I only eat bread, potatoes, pasta and nuts… all stodge. I can't eat anything that has flavour."

The former 'Baywatch' star and supermodel has been very vocal about her belief in animal rights for much of her time in the spotlight and has often teamed up with organisation PETA to head up activism campagins with a series of racy photoshoots.. She has been vegan for over 30 years and once claimed that the lifestyle could make someone a "better lover." She said: "Vegans make better lovers. Cholesterol hardens your arteries, but not much else. That's what I hear. I'm vegan, I'm fairly confident in that statement. Absolutely I think. But I think I've always had a lot of fun in that department."

The Hollywood star won an Oscar for playing the title role in 2020 DC superhero movie 'Joker' and used his acceptance speech to slam the dairy industry. He said: "I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth we steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for the calf and we put it in our coffee and cereal."

The 'American Pie' actress starred as beautician Paulette Bonafonte in the 2001 movie 'Legally Blonde' and in its 2003 sequel, her charatcer mused about wanting a hot dog "real bad." Years later, Jennifer had adopted a vegan lifestyle and refused promote a hotdog company in a commercial because they didn't offer a plant-based alternative. She said: "I was offered one and I turned it down. It was a hot dog company that just did the meat hot dog, and I eat these amazing plant-based hot dogs. So I said to the company, 'If you guys come out with plant-based hot dogs, I will definitely do a commercial for you.'"

The Cabaret' star went vegan at the age of 47 in 2012 after following a vegetarian diet for two years and explained that the lifestyle change has improved his complexion and left him feeling "younger." He said: "When I stopped [eating meat] and became vegan my skin cleared up.I feel much better, I feel I’ve got more energy, I feel cleaner, I feel younger because I’m not asking my body to cope with things that it’s not necessarily good with coping at."

The 'bad guy' hitmaker was raised in a vegetarian household but made the decision to elimiate animal products from her diet entirely when she was 12. She explained: "I love animals and I just think there’s no point in creating something out of an animal when the animal is already there. Leave animals alone. Damn. Also, I’m lactose intolerant and dairy is horrible for your skin and my skin is VERY aware of that.”

'Game of Thrones' star Peter decided to give up eating meat and dairy products in 2014 after following a vegetarian diet for almost 30 years. While working with PETA on a video for their campaign against dairy farming, he said: "The images that you’re about to see might make you want to turn away, but this is what you pay for every time you buy meat, eggs and dairy products."

The 'thank u, next' hitmaker has been a vegan since her days starring alongside Jennette McCurdy on Nickelodeon sitcom 'Sam and Cat' in 2013 and explained that she actively eliminates animal products from her life because she loves animals "more than people." She said: "I love animals more than I love most people, not kidding. But I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, whole food diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-around happier person."