All the celebrities who came out of retirement

Retirement is a concept that most Aussies dream of every day.

Sitting back by the beach, having your days to yourself with little-to-no responsibilities. 

But do A-listers view retirement the same way?

Well, it seems some do, but some definitely don't.

It's not uncommon for a celebrity to announce their retirement, breaking hearts of fans around the world, only to return to the spotlight years later.

So, if you're curious to find out which celebs have gone into retirement only to change their minds and head back to Hollywood, keep reading. 

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In 2018, Cameron Diaz announced she was retiring from acting saying she was "literally doing nothing".

For years, she didn't appear on our screens, even telling friend Gwyneth Paltrow in a 2020 interview for Goop that her choice to retire had given her peace.

But in 2022, Diaz's fans were delighted when Netflix announced that the star was coming out of retirement.

"Cameron Diaz is officially un-retiring!! " Netflix tweeted at the time. "She will star with Jamie Foxx in a new Netflix movie – and we have an unexpected person to thank for getting her back in action…"

It turns out that none other than NFL legend Tom Brady was the one to convince Diaz to get back in front of the camera.

Foxx tweeted an audio recording in which he had Brady share some words of advice with Diaz.

When Diaz shared with Foxx that she was nervous about coming out of retirement, her co-star said, "Listen, I got somebody on the other line that can help you with this."

"I was talking to Jamie and he said you need a few tips on how to un-retire," Brady said when he was patched into the call. "I'm relatively successful at un-retiring."

"Honestly," Diaz responded. "Exactly what I needed."

Possibly one of the wilder – if not the wildest – celebrity retirement stories.

Daniel Day-Lewis first announced his retirement in 1997.

But where most other retired celebrities plan on travelling the world, or starting up some kind of business to keep them busy, Day-Lewis had other plans.

The Crucible actor instead shared that he was off to become an apprentice to a renowned Italian shoemaker.

He returned in 2002 to star in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, announcing his retirement again over a decade later in 2017. 

However, he's since made a second comeback to star in his son's directorial debut, Anemone. 

In 2002, Cher set out on a three month farewell tour, as her incredible career in the spotlight came to a close.

But six years later, fans were delighted when she announced her Las Vegas residency.

Since then, the superstar has stayed out of retirement, releasing albums and even starring in a slew of films including Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and Burlesque. 

Emma Watson was just 10 years old when she starred in the first Harry Potter film as Hermione Granger.

By the time the series came to a close, Watson was 21 and had announced her decision to leave acting.

The star shared that she had lost her love for the craft and instead wanted to focus on her college studies.

However, her retirement was short lived.

A year after the final Harry Potter movie was released, Watson was back on our screens starring in the cult-classic film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

In the year 2000, a 58–year–old Barbra Streisand performed four farewell concerts to mark her retirement.

She had told ABC News at the time that she wanted to shift her focus for live performances to acting and directing.

Streisand had one of the lengthy celebrity retirements, not returning to the spotlight until 2016.

She embarked on her The Music... The Mem'ries... The Magic! tour that same year.

Tina Turner was one of the biggest names of her time, so, when she announced that at the end of her 2000 European tour she would be retiring, fans were devastated.

"I've done enough. I've been performing for 44 years. I really should hang up my dancing shoes," she said at the time.

And while Turner didn't return to her illustrious career to the same extent some others did, we did see her take to the stage again.

She performed her 50th anniversary tour in 2008, and also performed at the Grammy awards. 

Legendary musician Phil Collins announced his first retirement in 2004.

He embarked on his First Farewell Tour over 2004 and 2005, but delighted fans when he reunited with his group Genesis for a tour in 2007.

And just when we thought Collins was officially retired, he shocked fans once again.

Ten years after reuniting with Genesis, Collins announced that he was stepping back into the limelight, travelling the world through 2017 and 2018 on his comeback tour Not Dead yet.

In 2009, British singer Lily Allen announced she would be taking a step back from the spotlight.

The Not Fair singer shared that she had chosen to retire to instead focus on acting, her clothing shop and her recording studio.

But four years later, Allen stepped back into the public's eye (or ear, shall we say) with the release of her album Sheezus.

Ozzy Osbourne said he was done with the rock and roll lifestyle in 1992, but three years later he was eating his words.

He started making music again in 1995, telling Rolling Stone that "retirement sucked".

Macaulay Culkin quit acting in 1994, after having already made a huge name for himself as a child in Hollywood.

After years out of show business, Culkin decided to give it another go, coming back to the spotlight in 2003 and since starring in projects such as American Horror Story and Dollface.

When her TV show Lost ended in 2010, actress Evangeline Lilly announced that she would be retiring from acting.

Instead, Lilly shared that she would be focusing on her writing and being a mum.

However, like plenty of other Hollywood retirements, it didn't last too long.

After a two year hiatus, Lilly once again appeared on the big screen in Marvel's Ant–Man and the Wasp. 

Jay–Z announced his retirement following his 2003 release, The Black Album, returning three years later with his album Kingdom Come.

"It was the worst retirement, maybe, in history," he later told Entertainment Weekly.