The glitz and glamour of a TV career sounds perfect to some, but some soap stars have left the limelight for a more "normal" life.
Many former stars, some who once starred in Coronation Street or Emmerdale, have chosen to step out of the public eye for the bliss of a quieter life or to support their families in a different way. While others have actually worked a second job while appearing on our screens.
One former Corrie star has even won awards for his range of artisan cheeses.
READ MORE: Coronation Street's Harriet Bibby announces 'last day' on ITV show
As previously reported, here's a look at some of the famous faces who packed in their acting careers to get a more ordinary job or took a temporary break when work dried up.
Kevin Kennedy - Coronation Street
Kevin Kennedy played the lovable Curly Watts for 20 years on Corrie.
After leaving the cobbles in 2003, Kevin launched an addiction recovery charity to help others with addictive and mental health disorders after being on his own journey of recovery from alcohol addiction for 22 years. He set up the Kennedy Street Foundation to help hundreds of people across the country on their own road to recovery
They have a helpline manned by trained coaches all in active recovery who offer free virtual recovery coaching support, signposting and virtual workshops. In 2020, Kevin told the MEN : "The Kennedy Street Foundation is my passion; all we want to do is help people who find themselves in the desperate situation I was in 22 years ago.
"Our national recovery helpline is receiving calls every day and we really need to raise as much money as possible in order to be able to help each and every one start their own Road2Recovery."
Adam Thomas - Emmerdale
Adam Thomas spent nine years playing Adam Barton in the Dales before leaving in 2018. He then took on three days a week of work at a property management company owned by a businessman friend.
In 2018, he told the Mirror: "I’ve made a fortune. I’m in between jobs. I was just at home, waiting for a phone call to do an audition – I needed something to tick me over.”
The actor, who has two children with wife Caroline added: “I’ve got a family to support at the end of the day, so I needed some sort of income. It’s great for my own sanity to get out there and start working.”
Adam went on to become a property executive for Kamani Property, though in 2020 he was back on telly with his brothers for Absolutely India: Mancs in Mumbai.
Coronation Street - Tisha Merry
Tisha is best known for playing Steph Britton on the cobbles from 2013-2018. The 27-year-old's final Corrie scenes saw her character flee Weatherfield to escape serial killer Pat Phelan.
Tisha has been dating her co-star Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone on the long running ITV soap, for four years. Earlier this year, she told soap fans she was stepping out of the limelight to pursue a different path
In an Instagram post in March, she shared the news she was about to embark on a new career at a long-haul travel company. She said: "SO thrilled to announce that I'm officially joining the @bluebaytravel team as their new Travel Ambassador!!.
"I’m so proud of this new adventure and beyond excited to travel the world and share with you some of the most breath-taking vacations Blue Bay Travel has to offer! I have an endless list of content ideas from holiday tips and tricks, Hotel Tours, Retreat Health and Wellness plans…."
Coronation Street - Sean Wilson
Former Coronation Street star Sean Wilson played Martin Platt for two decades in the soap before leaving to pursue cheesemaking. He set up the Saddleworth Cheese Company in 2009, whose products are stocked in Asda, and now makes an award-winning blue called Smelly Ha’peth.
Sean then returned to school in Nantwich, Cheshire, where he learnt his trade as a lecturer in a bid to pass on his cheese expertise. He has won a gold medal at the British Cheese Awards and was on the judging panel at the International Cheese Awards and The Global Cheese Awards.
In 2017 he landed a lucrative deal with Asda to supply supply his award-winning product to nearly 200 branches. At the time, he said: “My products are going nationwide. We supply 180 stores with delicatessens, so we’re very honoured.
"I walk down the street and most people acknowledge I’m one of them, which is great when you’re selling something.”
Sean made a brief return to Corrie in 2019, when Martin came to Weatherfield to help son David.
Emmerdale - Ned Porteous
Okay, so this one's a bit of an anomaly as it's not clear whether Ned chose to leave Emmerdale - but he hasn't been seen on our screens in a good while.
After his character Joe Tate was killed, a fact that some Emmerdale fans doubt to be true, Ned was initially in a number of TV shows and films. Some soap fans had the shock of their lives when they saw the hunky actor take on the role of handsome Lord Wetherby in the steamy period drama Bridgerton.
However, he has been absent from TV since 2020, and has been spotted travelling around the USA with his girlfriend, Sophia Lo.
Coronation Street - Jimi Mistry
Jimi played Leanne Battersby's fiancé Kal, who was caught up in the fire drama at Victoria Court flats in the ITV soap in May 2015. After waving Leanne to safety, a gas canister next to him exploded in the blaze - which was started by Tracy Barlow.
Eastenders was where Jimi first rose to fame but he had big film roles in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla, 2012 alongside Danny Glover and Blood Diamond opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, and East is East.
So it may come as a complete shock to some to learn Jimi has given up showbiz in its entirety, now living off grid in Devon.
The star lives with his wife Flavia Cacace, whom he first met when he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010. The two married in 2013, and now run a personal training and nutrition business, with Jimi even having even retrained as a chef.
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