Singapore Idol-Turned-Grab Driver Hady Mirza Isn’t The Only Former Celeb With A Surprising Post-Showbiz Career

After leaving showbiz in 2005, he ran an animal shelter, cooked for a vegetarian cafe in Johor Bahru, and in 2013, became an ordained monk. In 2016, it was revealed that Shaoguang had returned to secular life and was working as a chef again. But last year, he made the news once more when he appeared at Mediacorp... to teach an acting class. He also released a statement that hinted that a return to showbiz wasn’t entirely impossible.

The former TVB actor, who shot to instant fame playing immigrant Ah Chan in TV series Man in the Net, is now a farmer. In his job as the general manager of an agricultural biotechnology company, he sometimes has to get his hands dirty by working in the fields.

The newly-minted public servant is now the executive director (and face) of the Public Hygiene Council. In her new role, the mum-of-two is in charge of keeping our streets clean and boosting hygiene standards in Singapore.

The former Ch 8 actor and Quan Yifeng’s ex-husband, who made his TV comeback last year, has been working as a full-time cabbie since 2011, in part to pay off his $100,000 gambling debt which he racked up after his acrimonious divorce from Yifeng. According to a news report, he earns $2,000 a month, which is a quarter of his salary as a housing agent in the past.

The former TVB actor now sells his own brand of fishballs named Souper Tang, and has his own Chinese restaurant in Guangzhou. He once revealed that he could sell up to 500,000 fishballs in a day, and earns 2 million yuan (S$400,000) a month, making him a bona fide “Fishball King”.

Back in her heyday, she was primed for the big time after winning Miss Hongkong in 1994. These days, you can catch the former TVB actress selling fishballs at her Causeway Bay street stall and asking customers “Spicy or not?” She’s also a hands-on boss and does everything from mopping the floor to washing the dishes. While her new endeavour was mocked by netizens, she’s having the last laugh. Halina, who once said, “Fishball sellers are also humans! A pretty face can’t feed you!”, opened her sixth branch last year.

The oldest Jonas brother is now a contractor, and has his own construction company called JonasWerner Homes.

Unlike the others on this list, Chris aka American Pie’s “The Sherminator” hasn’t given up his showbiz dreams. But in 2012, the struggling actor started moonlighting as a waiter at a Los Angeles sushi joint to make ends meet. “Life doesn’t always go the way you planned. I love acting and this job lets me stay in the fight,” he said.

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As a member of ’90s boy band Westlife, Mark performed to thousands of adoring fans at music festivals. These days, the F&B entrepreneur still makes his rounds on the music fest circuit — serving crepes and coffee out of a food truck. “People were flabbergasted that I was in the van making crepes. They have this thing, ‘Oh, he was in Westlife and now he’s making tea.’ I love festivals, so why not?” he said.