Popular reality TV shows such as Love Island, TOWIE and Big Brother have produced a host of celebrities.
Many often go on to live glamorous showbiz lives as influencers, actors, TV stars or models – with Love Island’s Molly-Mae Hague, TOWIE’s Mark Wright and Big Brother’s Josie Gibson among some of the most successful.
But at the other end of the spectrum others have decided to return to their day jobs after quitting fame or taking a step back from the limelight.
While some who didn’t quite have the success they have expected have been forced to return to real world occupations.
Here MailOnline takes a look at the stars who have quit fame to return to their day jobs:
Love Island’s Paige Thorne – Paramedic
Paige Thorne became a fan favourite after appearing on 2022’s summer series of Love Island.
The paramedic from Swansea, 25, made it to the later stages of the show with her partner Adam Collard.
After leaving the villa Paige – who qualified as an EMT in 2019 – was popular with fashion and beauty brands who lined up to make deals with her.
But after just a few months she returned to part time work as a paramedic in September 2022.
Sharing with fans the news at the time she donned her uniform for a slew of snaps as she declared she ‘can’t wait’ to get back to work.
During a Q&A with her followers one asked: ‘What’s going to happen with your paramedic job?’.
The stunner replied by sharing three snaps of herself in uniform and in the back of her ambulance.
She wrote: ‘Going back on a bank basis which means I can pick and choose shifts that suit me. Can’t wait.’
She recently told Vice: ‘It was a very daunting time. I just felt under this enormous pressure all of a sudden to ‘become’ an influencer… I was literally a deer in the headlights.’
‘It’s only up until recently that I realised like, no, I’m actually not an influencer.’
Love Island’s Rachel Fenton – Nurse
Rachel Fenton rose to fame on series two of Love Island where she was paired up with Rykard Jenkins.
She eventually returned to her role as an orthopaedic clinical nurse specialist after struggling to juggle fame and her full-time job.
She said: ‘After leaving the villa, I partied non-stop and went to glitzy events. It was fun, but it wasn’t really me. So I returned to work as a trauma and orthopaedic nurse within two weeks.
‘Being in the public eye was very overwhelming. I remember being in Bluewater shopping centre in Essex when a group of teenagers ran up to me, asking for pictures. Fame was tricky to navigate,’ she said.
Rachel, 29, was one of the brave health care professionals who was on the front line amid the coronavirus pandemic.
She contracted the illness twice as she helped patients and told how she lost her sense of taste and smell when she was poorly.
The blonde beauty said at the time: ‘So I came back positive with the virus… everyone who’s been messaging me about their sense of taste and smell going it most likely means you have it so follow guidelines and isolate.’
She said: ‘I’ve not felt unwell, I’ve felt OK. not 100 per cent, but not poorly. I’ve felt OK, still eating and still got an appetite. My symptoms are really mild. You need to be very careful if you’ve had loss of taste and smell to isolate.
‘I’m not going back to work now until I’m tested as negative. I’m not sure when they’ll get me back for a re-swab. For now I’m just isolating and looking after myself. It’s not been horrendous for me.’
TOWIE Kirk Norcross – Builder
Kirk Norcross rose to fame back in 2010 as the flirtatious Sugar Hut promoter on The Only Way In Essex, later deciding to leave the show to focus on his family.
After a three-year stint on TOWIE, Kirk quit the show, later becoming a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother 9. He was evicted from the house on day 16.
The television personality also made a name for himself as a Lothario, previously confessing he had slept with more than 1,000 women in his autobiography, Kirk Norcross: My Story.
In 2018 he told how a Tesco worker shamed him for giving up the hit reality ITVBe show to become a builder, saying he was not ashamed he failed his brief TV career.
With the shop assistant telling the star his life had ‘gone down hill’, a distressed Kirk, who suffers from anxiety and depression, revealed the knock back had hit him hard.
He wrote: ‘So it’s no secret and I am not ashamed to say that I failed my TV career and decided to take a job in construction to provide for my family and I’m actually proud to do so!
‘So today I popped in Tesco to grab some lunch and the lady serving me very loudly says in front of the huge queue ‘shouldn’t you be filming for TOWIE’. I reply saying ‘haha na that was a long time ago I’m now building houses down the road’ she then adds even more loudly ‘WOW YOU’VE GONE DOWN HILL HAVEN’T YOU’.
‘To be honest I’m proud of what I’m doing with my life! I think @Tesco @tesconews should teach their staff some manners! I suffer from depression and anxiety i this definitely hit me hard! So thanks to the lady that said this to me!’
MailOnline contacted Tesco for comment at the time.
Love Island’s Abigail Louise Rawlings – Tattoo artist
Abigail starred on series seven of Love Island but was only on the show for a brief period of time.
While the beauty from Surrey went on to secure some brand deals as an influencer, she returned to her trade as a tattoo artist.
Abigail became ‘quite anxious’ about being in the limelight, and made the decision to step away from her fame to resume her true passion.
She said: ‘Before going on Love Island, I made a promise to my dad that I wouldn’t lose myself. Tattooing has been my entire identity since I was 18, so I was never going to stop.
‘When I was in the villa and I couldn’t draw or be creative, I felt deprived of who I was. I went back to work because I wanted my identity back.
‘After leaving the show I took some time away from my job to adjust to my new life as a reality star. I thought I’d cope really well with the limelight.
‘However, I became quite anxious. I even went shopping in sunglasses to avoid attention. I knew I needed to step back for it to become more manageable.’
Love Island’s Tyler Cruickshank – Trainee lawyer
Tyler rose to fame on season seven of Love Island where he coupled up with Kaz Kamwi where they made it to the final.
The fourth-place finisher studied law at university, but took on a job as an estate agent due to low funds.
He said: ‘After graduating I didn’t have the resources to continue studying so I became an estate agent.
‘I made decent money, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do.’
But in August 2021, Tyler began a Solicitors Qualifying Exam course which means he’ll be a qualified solicitor very soon.
Love Island’s Jay Younger – Investment Analyst
Jay was a popular contestant on the 2022 summer series of Love Island where he was coupled up with winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu as well as Casa Amor girl Chyna Mills.
After being booted from the series, Jay returned to his role as an investment analyst just three weeks after flying back from Mallorca.
He said: ‘Despite having their backing, I found it hard to relax in the villa. I was always aware that I was representing my employer, so I wasn’t fully able to let my guard down.
‘I went back to work in the first week of August, three weeks after leaving the show.’
He recently said he has no plans to return to the villa like Adam Collard, with Jay more than happy back at his 9-5 job.
He confessed: ‘Nah, I don’t think it was for me!
‘One was enough for me, I’m grateful for the experience and I’d be grateful if they asked me but, I’m all good, I’m OK thanks.’
Big Brother’s Glyn Wise – Vicar
Glyn rose to fame on the seventh series of Big Brother when he was just 18, coming second to winner Pete Bennett.
But he has gone down a different path since his reality TV fame, as he took to Instagram last year to unveil his new career.
The star, who is now 35, revealed in 2022 that he has been accepted to train for ordained ministry in a post to his 12.1k followers.
The Welsh native posed in his new uniform for the snap, standing at a lectern in St Micheals church, Camden Town.
Glyn was all in black, as he placed one hand on a bible for the shot.
He has been gaining experience as a Pastoral Assistant at the church, and will now complete his training in Wales.
The former TV personality gushed about his new job in the caption, writing: ‘I’ve done it! I’ve been accepted to train for Ordained ministry with the @churchinwales. I’d like to thank the @thechurchofengland for all it’s support at Camden – St Michaels!’
Glyn revealed that the training will take two years and wrote in Welsh that he would be starting in September, after jesting that he’d be like something out of sitcom Father Ted.
He continued: ‘I’ve really enjoyed giving sermons & bringing the good word to people. In 2 years time I’ll be Father Glyn – my life will be like a sketch show out of #vicorofdibley & #fatherted but I’m looking forward to it! So happy!’
It’s been over 15 years since he entered the Big Brother House as a fresh-faced lifeguard, but Glyn seems to have made longstanding ties with famous faces who have also entered the iconic house.
Paul Burrell wrote: ‘Congratulations’, while Pete Bennett joked: ‘Can I come to confession please father’.
Glyn captured hearts on his season of the show as he learnt household tasks such as cooking and cleaning.
He previously made headlines as he dipped into politics after his Big Brother days, standing with Welsh party Plaid Cymru – before his recent career switch up.
Love Island’s Will Young – farmer
Will capture the hearts of the nation after appearing on the winter 2023 series of Love Island where he coupled up with Jessie Wynter.
But Will is a sixth-generation farmer who works on his lambing farm in Buckinghamshire – where he returned as soon as he left South Africa.
He is now releasing a book called For the Love of Farming which will tell the story of his profession.
The star said: ‘Today I am able to tell the world about my life as a shepherd, and lamb farmer, and spread a positive message of how important farming, and having a connection to nature and animals is for our mental health.
‘From my seven alpacas to two pet pigs, four amazing dogs, and, of course, my litter of lovely little pet lambs and super sheep, I love them all, great and small.
‘They make me a better person. They are the reason I wake up (literally, they need feeding) but also the reason I love what I do. And I’ll never take that for granted.’