The entertainment industry may be perceived as all glitz and glamour, but unbeknown to many, it also entails profound dedication to the craft and holistic strength, as celebrities have to withstand long working hours, demanding commitments, and even overwhelming controversies that will be thrown at them.
And whenever things get overwhelming, celebs opt to stay away from the limelight and devote more time to their personal life – whether to spend time with family, to do some contemplating, to focus on their well-being, or to live the normal life they’ve been arguably craving to have. While others made their comeback after months or years of hiatus, there are some who choose to continue living in peace outside showbiz.
Meet the nine stars who had or have taken a step back from the spotlight to focus on their personal lives in this Kapamilya Snaps feature!
First on this list is Anne Curtis, whose return to It’s Showtime was really anticipated not only by her co-hosts, but the madlang people, too! And it finally happened last May 28, which she marked by staging a fantastic song number.
It can be recalled that she left the noontime show back in December 2019 at six months pregnant to take an indefinite maternity leave. She gave birth to her firstborn Dahlia Amelie in March 2020 and initially planned to make her comeback when the little one turned one year old. But plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from Anne, the It’s Showtime fam and the madlang people had also missed Jhong Hilario. And just last Saturday, June 4, he made a shocking yet delightful comeback by disguising as a Tawag ng Tanghalan contestant to surprise everyone.
He temporarily exited the program and the celebrity singing and impersonation contest Your Face Sounds Familiar, in April 2021 for the sake of his newborn child Sarina and his partner Maia amidst the pandemic.
Another Kapamilya who recently made her grand comeback is Maymay Entrata, which she did by surprising everyone with her appearance on the Big Night of Pinoy Big Brother Kumunity Season 10 last May 29.
Those who follow her on Instagram know that she stayed in Canada since January 2022 to pursue her dream of studying abroad. It was also during her stay there when she made the huge announcement that she’s already in a relationship by introducing him on the photo-sharing platform.
While these Kapamilya stars have already returned from their hiatuses, Yam Concepcion, Bela Padilla, Sarah Lahbati, and Andi Eigenmann are still savoring their normal lives outside the entertainment scene.
After the success of Init Sa Magdamag, Yam flew to the United States not just to take her well-deserved break but to also finally tie the knot with her long-time non-showbiz partner Miguel CuUnjieng in July 2021. Since then, the Kapamilya actress has been enjoying the married life in New York City where he is currently based.
Prior to that, the actress, who also headlined Love Thy Woman (2020), previously shared that she and Miguel actually got engaged in 2018. But they had to hold off wedding plans as she chose to focus first on her career.
Bela revealed in November 2021 that she’s been living in London for a few months, and later explained in a vlog that there were actually multiple reasons why she made the life-changing move. She stated, “I feel like the world stopped during the pandemic and I have been looking for something new to do in my life”. The 31-year-old actress-filmmaker last starred in the teleserye Sino Ang Maysala? Mea Culpa in 2019.
Ever since giving birth to her and husband Richard Gutierrez’s second son Kai in 2018, Sarah seemingly chooses to focus being mom to their two children. And she’s apparently enjoying every moment she has with them as seen in her IG posts. The actress, who last appeared in The Promise of Forever (2017) and My Super D (2016), expressed in an interview her interest in going back to work by saying, “I miss dancing, I miss my ASAP family, and I miss acting also”.
Meanwhile, Andi’s drastic choice of shying away from the limelight to live a simpler life in Siargao with her three kids Ellie, Lilo, and Koa and partner Philmar Alipayo has indeed inspired many. She was last seen in the 2016 soap opera The Greatest Love.
In a 2021 interview, the 31-year-old actress related that she’s still open to the idea of returning to showbiz and acting. However, it’s seemingly not going to happen soon as she wants to spend as much time as possible with her family, considering that her youngest child, Koa, was only born last January 2021.
The same goes for Kaye Abad, who’s currently living a peaceful life in Cebu ever since she got married to actor Paul Jake Castillo in 2016, to whom she shares two kids with– Pio Joaquin, who’s now four years old, and Iñigo Leon, who was born on September 13, 2021.
She broke her hiatus in 2019 when she had a special participation in the 2019 daytime drama Nang Ngumiti Ang Langit. And she has no plans to return to acting anytime soon as she currently prioritizes taking care of their children, as what she had told Francine Diaz in an interview. She uttered, “Palakihin ko muna ‘yung mga bata then I will, for sure, go back.”
And lastly, Prime Superstar Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, who made her much-awaited TV comeback in 2019 via FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, wherein viewers lauded her impeccable portrayal of the guest role Jane Sebastian. It was followed by a bida-kontrabida character in the primetime series Starla on that same year, and a hosting gig in the 2020 docu-series Paano Kita Mapapasalamatan?.
The award-winning actress-host has not taken on any new acting roles since then, explaining in a previous statement that she’s patiently waiting for her next project and, at the same time, giving younger actors a chance to show off their talents.
Which of these celebrities are you excited to watch again on your television screens, Kapamilya?