10 Local Celebs Who Left Showbiz for Their Children

Many of our homegrown acting talents have been with us for decades, but many have also left the industry to focus on their families. Some have rejoined the industry, much to their fans’ delight.

Here we feature 10 amazing celebrities who are also amazing parents in their personal time and have sacrificed their own personal goals for the good of their children.

Evelyn Tan

This wholesome actress with her squeaky clean image quit showbiz in 2005.

Already a proud mother of 3 children, Tan gave birth to baby Elliot in early 2015. The entire brood are looking forward to epic sea expeditions which they will experience as a family.

Amazingly, all 4 children are home-schooled by the devoted mother.

Huang Biren

Huang quit acting in 2008 at the peak of her career after winning the award for Best Female Actress no less than 3 times.

Since her 7 year hiatus, she has come back to her work onscreen as a freelance actress in 2015. We look forward to more stellar performances from this talented lady!

Ivy Lee

Mediacorp lost another dedicated veteran in 2009 when Lee decided to up and emigrate with her entire family to Hong Kong to be closer to her husband who frequently travels around the Great Eastern region. As of 2017, she moved again to London.

Though there have been no plans for her to restart her career in Singapore, she will always be remembered as one of our most iconic and serious actresses.

Sherry Tan (Chen Xiu Huan)

If local dramas were the stuff that you eagerly rushed home after school for, you would also have been an avid fan of Sherry Tan’s volleyball smashes.

Sherry Tan was one of the biggest household names in local television in her heyday, and she quit at the peak of her career in 1997 to be a full-time mother to her 3 children.

Tan, however, has no regrets about her decision as her children who are all of school-going age now are doing academically well and she has professed to be in a good place.

She has since returned to the showbiz world in 2018.

Lina Ng

This lean actress with her megawatt smile lit up our screens for a while before becoming a full-time mum when her oldest boy, Jeriel, was born.

Best known for her vibrant personality alongside Kim Ng and Bryan Wong in the popular variety show City Beat, she has been taking on minor roles sporadically over the years.

Wong Li Lin

Everyone groaned when news that Singapore’s hottest policewoman announced that she would take a break from showbiz to be a full-time mother almost a decade ago. She moved to be with her husband in Shanghai.

After her split with Allan Wu in 2013, Wong has re-settled back in Singapore with her children and appears to be back in the limelight.

Moe Alkaff

Mums are not the only ones who sacrifice everything for their children. Fondly remembered for his good-natured ribbing in Gotcha!, Alkaff left for the States in 2000.

Alkaff felt that the more relaxed pace creates a better and happier environment for his children to grow up in. However, he is still working in Singapore even though he lives in Colorado.

Nadya Hutagalung

Having become one of Singapore’s most respected celebrities as a MTV VJ and even being named one of Singapore’s Top 20 most Influential People by CNN in 2009, Hutagalung left her well-established career behind to focus on her children.

Similarly pointing to the stressful environment that Singapore’s kids are exposed to, she went back to her home country of Australia for a few years before renewing her efforts in her multiple commitments. She currently resides in Singapore with her husband, Desmond Koh, and 3 children.

Gurmit Singh

Singapore’s favourite contractor took a permanent break in 2014 after spending 20 years as one of Mediacorp’s most prolific personalities.

Citing wanting to dedicate more time for his family and guilt as the main impetus behind his departure, Singh admits to having to cut back on expenses with his decision. However, it is a decision he does not regret. He has three children, Gabrielle (born 1998), Elliot (born 2002) and Mikaela (born 2013).

Kudos to him for being such a great role model for Dads in Singapore!

Yvonne Lim

Lim quit the local showbiz industry shortly after she delivered late 2014. She took a break from her acting career to move to Taiwan with her family as she is married to her husband Alex Tien. In 2019, she filmed her comeback drama, While You Were Away.

She also mentioned that her husband wishes to apply for permanent residency and is considering the option of relocating here. However, that will only happen in 3 to 4 years time.