Jessica Marias: The Aussie stars who left fame behind for ordinary jobs

Jessica Marais made headlines this week after being pictured working a shift at a Sydney café, almost four years after quitting acting to focus on her mental health.

But the former Packed to the Rafters star, 37, isn’t the only Aussie celebrity who has left fame behind in favour of an ordinary 9 to 5 job.

Many other stars have shunned the spotlight, including the TV presenter who found casual work at an Amazon warehouse to the soap actress who went into real estate.

Jules Lund

Jules Lund had an impressive career in radio and TV before leaving it all behind to set up his own business in the lucrative influencer marketing space.

He presented 400 episodes of Channel Nine travel show Getaway from 2004 to 2012, and was also a contestant on Dancing on Ice.

His radio résumé includes various roles at 2Day FM, most notably co-hosting the breakfast slot with Merrick Watts and Sophie Monk in 2014.

New start: Jules Lund (pictured in 2016) had an impressive career in radio and TV before leaving it all behind to set up his own business in the lucrative influencer marketing space

In late 2015, Jules launched his company Tribe, a tech marketplace that connects brands with Instagram influencers for individual campaigns.

He launched the business right at the start of the influencer boom, and it has gone on to become an immense success with offices in Britain and the USA.

Starting with a team of two in Melbourne, his company employed 70 staff around the world as of 2019.

Former career: He presented 400 episodes of Channel Nine travel show Getaway from 2004 to 2012, and was also a contestant on Dancing on Ice

Radio jock: His radio résumé includes co-hosting the 2Day FM breakfast slot in 2014. (Pictured from left: Merrick Watts, Sophie Monk, model Megan Gale and Jules in mid-2014)

James Mathison

He was a household name in the 2000s, best known for co-hosting Australian Idol for six years alongside Osher Günsberg.

But James Mathison has turned his back on fame in recent years, and now lives a quiet life away from the spotlight.

The married father of two, 44, landed a casual job at an Amazon warehouse on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in September last year.

Daily Mail Australia understands he is no longer working for the e-commerce giant.

Throwback: James Mathison (left) was a household name in the 2000s, best known for co-hosting Australian Idol for six years alongside Osher Günsberg (right). Pictured in June 2005

His other TV credits include appearances on Celebrity Apprentice, Studio 10 and most recently SBS’s Celebrity Mastermind. 

Mathison tried to enter politics in 2016 by running as an independent candidate in the federal seat of Warringah, which was held by then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott, but failed to win with just 11.4 per cent of the primary vote.

Jason Akermanis

Retired AFL star Jason Akermanis swapped Brownlows for bungalows in August 2020 when he embarked on a new career as a real estate agent.

The former Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs star, 45, started selling houses for Ray White Ascot, in Brisbane’s inner north-east.

The footy great began his career under the tutelage of agency director Dwight Ferguson, who has a reputation for employing ex-athletes.

My, how you’ve changed! Retired AFL star Jason Akermanis (seen here playing for the Western Bulldogs on April 4, 2010, in Melbourne) swapped Brownlows for bungalows in August 2020 when he embarked on a new career as a real estate agent

Akermanis was known for his trademark spiky blond hair and dark goatee during his footy career, but adopted a more professional look for his new role.

He told Realestate.com.au at the time his decision to become an estate agent and auctioneer was a ‘little spontaneous’.

But he said lessons he’d learned from his mother, who often stressed the importance of making wise property investments, made up for his lack of industry experience.

Akermanis took a new direction again in August 2021 when he launched his own Australian cryptocurrency called Zucoin, which he described as a ‘much better product than Bitcoin’.

New career: The former Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs star, 45, started selling houses for Ray White Ascot in Brisbane. The footy great began his career under the tutelage of agency director Dwight Ferguson (left), who has a reputation for employing ex-athletes

Dieter Brummer

He rose to fame playing Summer Bay heart-throb Shane Parrish on Channel Seven soap Home and Away from 1992 to 1996.

But Dieter Brummer was unable to match this early success with later roles in Neighbours (2011 to 2012) and crime drama Underbelly: The Golden Mile (2010).

In the late 2000s, when he was still working occasionally as an actor, Brummer retrained as a high-rise window washer – a career he said he loved because it involved using his hands and meant he ‘[didn’t] have to deal with people too much’.

Star: Dieter Brummer (left, with co-star Melissa George) played heart-throb Shane Parrish on Home and Away from 1992 to 1996, but was unable to match this early success with later roles 

While Brummer said he was happy to leave acting behind and take on physical work, those close to him say he often fretted over what could have been.

His window-cleaning business is said to have run into financial trouble during the Covid pandemic in late 2020 and early 2021.

He died by suicide on July 24, 2021, at a home in Glenhaven, in Sydney’s north-west.

RIP: In the late 2000s, when he was still working occasionally as an actor, Brummer retrained as a high-rise window washer – a career he said he loved because it involved using his hands and meant he ‘[didn’t] have to deal with people too much’. He died by suicide on July 24, 2021

Melissa Bell

Nineties television star Melissa Bell acquired her real estate licence and began work on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Before retiring from acting, she was known for playing hippy Bonnie Tate in E Street from 1992 to ’93, and Lucy Robinson in Neighbours intermittently since 1991.

She said of her career change: ‘It is really exciting!’ 

Pivot: Nineties TV star Melissa Bell acquired her real estate licence and began work on the Gold Coast in 2018. Before retiring from acting, she was known for playing hippy Bonnie Tate in E Street from 1992 to ’93, and Lucy Robinson in Neighbours (pictured) on and off since 1991

‘I didn’t have any other formal qualifications so this is a big thing for me to achieve this,’ she added,

Melissa studied for six months to get her real estate qualification.

Her decision to give up acting for a 9 to 5 job came after the death of her husband Gary Dickinson in February 2016 left her a single mother of four.

Sad story: Her decision to give up acting for a 9 to 5 job came after the death of her husband Gary Dickinson in February 2016 left her a single mother of four

Craig Wing

Craig Wing, known by the nickname ‘Wingy’, began his working life as a child actor before playing professional rugby league and rugby union from 1998 to 2016.

He played more than 250 NRL games for South Sydney and the Sydney Roosters before swapping codes to play rugby in Japan.

Sportsman: Craig Wing began his working life as a child actor before playing professional rugby league and rugby union from 1998 to 2016. (Pictured during a training session in 2005)

After his retirement he launched a real estate career as a private buyers agent, joining the Alsaker firm in Neutral Bay in June 2019.

He had acquired his full real estate licence earlier that year.

Craig has handled sales for several celebrities, including Kerri-Anne Kennerley, who sought his expertise when she sold her Woollahra home for more than $22million.

Man about town: After his retirement he launched a career as a private buyers agent, joining the Alsaker firm in Neutral Bay in June 2019. (Craig is pictured left with MAFS star Al Perkins)

Jessica Marais 

Jessica Marais, known for her roles in popular TV shows Packed to the Rafters and Love Child, stepped away from acting in 2018 to focus on her mental health.

The 37-year-old now works as a waitress at a café in Sydney, and was pictured greeting guests and taking their orders on Wednesday.

Several patrons appeared to recognise their waitress as one of Australia’s most famous TV stars. 

Stellar career: Jessica Marais, known for her roles in popular TV shows Packed to the Rafters and Love Child, stepped away from acting in 2018 to focus on her mental health

Waiting tables: The 37-year-old Logie winner now works as a waitress at a café in Sydney (pictured cleaning tables on Wednesday morning)

Jessica is said to be enjoying her new job, with a customer telling New Idea she was ‘friendly’ and looked ‘really happy’ during a recent visit.

The Logie-winning actress stepped away from acting in late 2018 but looked set to make a comeback in 2020 when she joined the cast of Back to the Rafters, the Amazon Prime Video reboot of Channel Seven drama Packed to the Rafters.

She was due to reprise her role as Rachel Rafter, the character she had played from 2008 until 2013 in the original Seven series, but pulled out at the last minute.

The role that made her famous: She found stardom playing Rachel Rafter on Seven’s Packed to the Rafters from 2008 to 2013. (Pictured here second from right with the cast of the show)

Her problems first became apparent two years earlier when she skipped the Logie Awards in July 2018 because she was receiving treatment for ‘urgent’ issues at a mental health facility in Bronte.

Then in September that year, she announced she was pulling out of Channel Nine show Bad Mothers a month before it was scheduled to begin filming ‘to focus on her health and spend time with her family’.

Just months after pulling out of Back to the Rafters in February 2020, Jessica sparked concern when emergency crews were called to her home for a welfare check.

She was walked to an ambulance where she was put on a gurney and taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick.

Co-parents: Jessica shares a 10-year-old daughter, Scout (centre), with her ex-fiancé, Home and Away star James Stewart (left)

A witness told Daily Mail Australia she was not wearing any shoes, her hair was a ‘dishevelled mess’ and she was in a ‘visibly distressed state’. 

Fortunately, she appeared happy and healthy several weeks later as she spent time with her Packed to the Rafters co-star Hugh Sheridan and other supportive friends. 

Months later, her mother Karen died.

Jessica shares a 10-year-old daughter, Scout, with her ex-fiancé, Home and Away star James Stewart.

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