One girlband member is now running a restaurant in a tourist hotspot
Paloma Faith might be changing her tune when it comes to her career.
The 42-year-old singer admitted her latest album could be her last before she pivots to teaching in order to spend more time with her kids.
Paloma might put her Faith in the teaching professionCredit: Getty
The Cheeky girls both work in the car trade and Monica is pictured on the forecourt in Lincolnshire
She told Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast her Mum is always pushing her to ditch the microphone and pick up the books instead.
“She’s like, ‘You’ve had kids, you’ve done the pop star thing. Go and do PGCE [teacher training] because then you can have the same holidays as your kids’. I’m considering it. I just might put one more record out.”
Paloma wouldn’t be the only superstar to trade her life of luxury for something a little more run of the mill.
From running gourmet food trucks to setting up construction companies, we look at the noughties stars who have swapped pop stardom for yearly salaries.
Cheeky car dealers
After skyrocketing to fame with a bizarre appearance on the reality TV show Popstars: The Rivals, the Cheeky Girls were topping the charts with tunes such as “Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)’.
After experiencing the unpredictability of the music industry, Romanian twins Monica Taylor and Gabriela Irimia found stability in an unexpected profession: selling cars. Monica works as a car saleswoman in Lincolnshire, while Gabriela is based in York. In 2021, Monica shared with the Sun that the devastation caused by Covid-19 led them to seek a more secure career path. She emphasized the importance of having a stable business for their future, stating that while being entertainers was fulfilling, it was crucial to have a reliable source of income. Despite their shift to a more traditional profession, the twins occasionally return to the spotlight, as seen when they partnered with Irn Bru to surprise shoppers in Glasgow last week.
Kitten turned to catering
Jenny (right) with bandmates Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton and outside her eatery
Jenny Frost, once a prominent member of the popular noughties girl band Atomic Kitten, transitioned from the spotlight to the culinary world by venturing into the restaurant business. After her tenure with the band from 2001 until their split in 2008, the now 46-year-old pursued a different path. She is the proud owner of Sundara, an affordable luxury restaurant located on Ibiza’s San Antonio Bay, which debuted last year.
Atomic changes
Natasha is now a mum of five and a therapist
Natasha Hamilton, another member of Atomic Kitten, has explored various career paths, with her latest venture being therapy. The 41-year-old, who is also a mother of five, announced in 2021 that she was retraining as an “unconscious mind therapist” to assist people in dealing with their trauma. According to a source quoted by The Sun, Natasha has been deeply impressed by this alternative approach to understanding the mind and is eager to help others overcome their self-limiting beliefs. This isn’t the first time Natasha has embarked on a new career journey; previously, she retrained as a beauty therapist in 2019 and launched The Beauty Studio in Farndon, Chester, the same year.
Boy band departure to Kent-loving farmer
JB (right) is now rearing lambs and pigs in Kent
JB Gill is best known for his chart-topping boy band JLS which shot to fame in 2006 – but when the band split in 2013 he gave up the microphone and picked up the keys for the tractor.
The 37-year-old put his hand to farming after buying a Kent property with 13 acres of land in 2012. He now lives on the farm with his wife Chloe, 34, and their two children, Ace, 8, and Chiara, 5.
He said he loves all parts of the farming life – even the gross parts.
“I love some of the more mundane tasks – mucking out is like mindfulness meditation to me. Most people turn their nose up at it, but it gives me time to think,” he told OK.
While he will continue to revel in his rural life the band recently announced a reunion tour.
Stepping up to teach
Lisa is teaching in Dubai
After a dazzling career in showbiz that included 14 top-five singles, Steps star Lisa Scott-Lee has transitioned from the stage to the classroom. At 48, she now operates her own performing arts academy in Dubai, where over 600 students gather to learn the intricacies of the art world. Established in 2014 with her husband Johnny Shentall, the school regularly showcases the children’s performances on Lisa’s Instagram.
The family relocated to Dubai with their children in 2011 and have embraced their new life wholeheartedly. While Lisa acknowledged in 2021 that Steps was “her life,” she also emphasized that the academy was her primary focus during the day.
“I can never switch off. Even when I’m with Steps, rehearsing or shooting a video, I’ll be working on my laptop. It’s become a bit of a running joke. I have to flip between my Steps hat and principal hat, which can be really hard and stressful at times.”
Jonas Brother turned builder
Kevin Jonas (left) now runs a building company
Once upon a time Kevin Jonas spent his days touring with his brothers, playing top ten hits to stadiums packed with thousands of screaming fans. Now, the 36-year-old has left the Jonas Brothers behind and focuses more on building a life for his family.
In 2013 he launched Jonas Werner Homes – a luxury construction company for “discerning clients” according to its website.
Alongside running the construction firm the eldest Jonas Brother is also the chief executive of The Blu Market – a communications firm which has launched several apps including a food search app called Yood.
In between all these jobs, Kevin still finds time to tour with his brothers – most recently last year when the brothers announced they intend to do another tour in 2025 to celebrate 25 years of the Jonas Brothers.
X-Factor to contractor
Ray Quinn is a carpet fitterCredit: ITV/Instagram
X Factor runner up Ray Quinn now lives a life completely different to the fame he experienced in the early 2000s.
The singer finished up second in the 2006 series, coming in behind Leona Lewis and made history as the youngest ever male artist to enter the UK album chart at number 1 without having released a single.
After a dizzying rise to fame he appeared on Dancing on Ice, which he won twice – once in 2009 and then again in the allstars competition in 2014. He also was cast in the iconic soap Hollyoakes where he played right wing nutter Jonny Baxter, and starred in a play at Liverpool’s Royal court.
But after a “nightmare year” in 2020, the entertainment work dried up entirely and the 35-year-old went back to manual labour to keep food on the table.
When he lost his beloved father to cancer in 2020, he decided to go back to the family business of carpet laying. Up until this he had been delivering mail for Hermes.
“It’s good to have another trade under your belt, especially during these times. It’s good to have a back-up plan.
“You shouldn’t pigeon-hole yourself – I’ve never done that.
Boy band star to coffee connoisseur
Mark (top right) with his bandmate and serving coffee at a festival
Mark Feehily, once a prominent figure in the entertainment world as part of Westlife during the noughties, has taken a surprising turn in his career trajectory. Despite the group’s numerous top-ten hits and multimillion-dollar album sales, Feehily has shifted gears and ventured into the realm of coffee and crepes. In 2015, he launched his catering van, a departure from his solo music career that he continues to balance alongside his new venture.
He said at the time the business was going “really well” and had been booked for several events. “We’ve got loads of interest and we’ve booked it in with a lot of the music festivals and we’re talking about doing some Irish ones as well.”
He said it worked well for him, because he loved festivals so “why not?”
