Lenny Kravitz
He’s been called ‘the hottest 60-year-old man on the planet’, but despite oozing sex appeal with his rock-star looks and thighs that are almost-never out of leather, Lenny Kravitz hasn’t actually ‘done the deed’ for almost a decade.
Opening up in an emotional interview about his father’s affair and his own actions following his split from ex Lisa Bonet (mum to daughter, actress Zoe Kravitz, 36) in 1991, Lenny said his journey to celibacy had been ‘spiritual’ as well as healing.
The rocker said, ‘After the marriage, I became more like him [my father]. I was becoming a player. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be that guy. So I had to tackle that and it took years.’
Admitting that it took ‘discipline’ not to let his ‘own desires take over’, Lenny added, ‘It’s a spiritual thing’ and said he had no plans to go back to having sex.
Drew Barrymore
With a string of celebrity exes, including Zach Braff and Luke Wilson, and three ex-husbands, Drew Barrymore revealed in 2022 that she was practicing celibacy – penning a heartfelt and candid blog post about how it had helped her focus on herself and her two daughters.
Following her 2016 divorce from Will Kopelman, who she co-parents daughters Olive, 12, and Frankie, 10, with, said, ‘Since entering life as a single mom, I have not been able to have an intimate relationship.’
Explaining how celibacy had helped her come to terms with her split, the 50 year old actress added, ‘It [getting into a relationship after her divorce] didn’t work for me. I needed to stay very celibate and honouring and in some sort of state of mourning of the loss of a nuclear family.
‘So for the record, I do not hate sex! I have just finally come to the epiphany that love and sex are simply not the same thing.'
Julia Fox
Fashion icon Julia Fox has been celibate for over two-and-a-half years, and is so outspoken about abstinence from sex that she has become an inspiration when it comes to empowering and encouraging other women to embark on their own celibacy journeys.
After becoming celibate after the arrival of her son Valentino, four, with ex-husband Peter Artemiev, Julia has since been candid about being ‘done with men’.
The singer-actress-author said, ‘Women are tired.’ And noting that other females who are celibate have reached out, said, ‘They're like, 'I wish more women understood how great it is not to do this...not to engage with men in that way’.
Julia famously didn’t have sex with disgraced rapper Kanye West during their brief fling in early 2022, saying, ‘It wasn’t really about that.’ She’s since said, 'I regret that relationship so much’ and felt like she was used as a ‘pawn’ after his divorce from Kim Kardashian.
Justin Bieber
In June 2018, when Justin reconnected with his now-wife Hailey Baldwin, the ‘Love Me’ singer announced he had been celibate for a year – a decision he admitted was prompted by a ‘legitimate problem with sex’.
The hit maker said at the time, ‘I think sex can cause a lot of pain. Sometimes people have sex because they don’t feel good enough. Because they lack self-worth. Women do that, and guys do that.
‘I wanted to rededicate myself to God in that way because I really felt it was better for the condition of my soul. And I believe that God blessed me with Hailey as a result.
‘There are perks. You get rewarded for good behaviour.’
Justin, 30, and Hailey, 28 – who welcomed son Jack in August last year – later revealed how they had abstained from sex ahead of their wedding in September 2018. No wonder they got married so quick!
Suki Waterhouse
She and fiancé Robert Pattison welcomed their baby daughter last March, and Suki Waterhouse has opened up about how a bout of celibacy actually led her to meeting her husband-to-be.
Ahead of connecting with R-Patz, 38, in 2018, Suki, 33, revealed she had been celibate for six months following a messy break up.
She candidly explained, ‘I’ve been ghosted and broken up with after dating someone for a year, that was pretty bad…But it turned out to be brilliant because I took a bout of celibacy.’
The model and actress said of the time, ‘You actually can hear yourself so much clearer. It’s just something about taking away the chaos of receiving attention, having to deal with it and texting people and getting those lurches of excitement.
‘It turned out to be great. I got very clear and I got very used to being comfortable with myself. Then I ended up meeting my boyfriend now.’
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom’s wife Katy Perry may have been very explicit when it came to their sex life during her chat for Call Her Daddy podcast, but the Pirates of the Caribbean actor has also been open about his bout of celibacy ahead of meeting the Teenage Dream singer in 2016.
Katy, 40, later admitted that she had ‘no idea’ that Orlando, 48, had been celibate when they started dating, but admitted that she had seen him as more ‘emotionally evolved’.
Orlando – who shares daughter Daisy, four, with Katy and son Flynn, 13, with ex-wife Miranda Kerr – added, ‘[Celibacy] takes away the idea of going to a party and thinking, ‘Who am I going to meet?’
‘I was suddenly, like, ‘Oh, I can have a relationship with a woman that is just friends.’ I was going to do three months [of abstaining], but I was really enjoying the way I was relating to women, and to the feminine within myself.’
Tulisa
The British singer had a very high profile romance with N-Dubz bandmate Fazer in the noughties, but during her appearance on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! last year, Tulisa, 36, admitted to her fellow campmates that she is celibate.
Revealing how she identifies as being ‘demi-sexual’ – meaning a person who has to have a strong emotional connection with a partner before anything sexual takes place – Tulisa said, ‘I need actual depth. I’m a slow, slow burner. I’ve been celibate for over three years.’
The star – who said the thought of having sex with someone she doesn’t feel emotionally and physically connected to makes her feel ‘physically sick’ – added, ‘I’m not an overly sexualised person. This is my temple, you cannot enter!’