Sam Heughan's fans have rushed to his defense after he received backlash from some of his Instagram followers over a photo he posted to social media.
The Outlander star took to Instagram on Monday to share a selfie from his recent trip to Belgium, which showed the actor holding a cigar in his mouth.
He captioned the snap: "Goodbye Belgium!"
Some of his followers weren't too impressed to see Sam with a cigar between his lips and took to the comments section. One person wrote: "I love you but disgusted from the cigarette," while another encouraged him not to smoke: "Please no smoking."
© @samheughan/InstagramMany of Sam's fans defended the 43-year-old in the comments section, with one person writing: "All those comments about Sam smoking make me sick! I am not a smoker myself, but here in Europe it's pretty common, especially for men, to smoke cigars once in a while."
A second fan explained that Sam enjoys smoking a cigar every now and then, adding: "Everyone needs to calm down. Read his book, peeps. He doesn't smoke but enjoys the occasional cigar."
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Sam's most recent Instagram post comes just a week after he marked an exciting career milestone. Taking to social media, the Scottish star celebrated ten years since he was cast to play the lead role of Jamie Fraser in Outlander.
Posting a snap from the drama, which shows Sam dressed in costume as Jamie, he penned in the caption: "Happy castaverssary JAMMF! 10 years ago was lucky to be given the opportunity to be custodian of the ginger wig…@outlander_starz."
Fans of the show were quick to congratulate the actor, with one person commenting: "Congratulations Sam, you are outstanding as Jamie Fraser. This role was made for you," while another praised his portrayal of the Scottish soldier, adding: "The role of your life! I do not have any doubt! Iconic! Forever James Fraser!"
© James MinchinHis co-star Caitríona Balfe, who plays Jamie's wife, Claire, also penned a sweet message in the comments section, writing: "The man, the myth, the legend…!!!! Happy Castaversary darling!!! (I may have been slightly premature a few days ago!!) So happy I got to go along on this insanely amazing journey with you. Much love, the old ball and chain x."
Sam is currently starring in the seventh series of the popular historical drama, which is set to conclude with its eighth and final season.
While fans are currently enjoying the new episodes, they may have to wait a little longer than usual to tune into the show's last season.
Caitríona gave an update on the production status of the new series in an interview from June.
While filming was due to begin in just a few months' time, the Irish actress explained that the ongoing writers' strike has put production on hold. When asked when filming was due to commence, she said: "Well, we had a date. And now with the writers strike, who knows? So we have to just wait and see.
© Starz"That's obviously a big thing that's going on at the moment stateside and that may change things. But you know, it's too early to start speculating about that," she told RadioTimes.com.
