'It was the worst retirement, maybe, in history...' The stars who quit only to make sensational comebacks!

1/11

The thrill of performing was too much to resist!

They said goodbye to their fans and their careers only to make incredible comebacks! What made them change their minds? The lure of fame and money? Read on to discover which stars just couldn't stay quit...

2/11

Barbra Streisand

In 2000, Barbra Streisand announced her retirement, and performed a number of farewell concerts. However, 16 years later she came back with her ‘The Music… The Mem’ries… The Magic!’ show. According to Billboard, it grossed approximately $53 million!

3/11

Jay-Z

Rapper Jay-Z has retired several times, only to always return to the music scene. In 2003, The New York Times reported that the ‘Holy Grail’ hitmaker was “bored” and stepping away from music. However, three years later he released his album ‘Kingdom Come’. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jay said: “It was the worst retirement, maybe, in history.”

4/11

Emma Watson

Emma Watson is known across the globe for playing Hermione Granger in the ‘Harry Potter’ film franchise. Emma walked away from acting when the wizarding series concluded in 2011 to study at Brown University. But the lure of the cameras meant it wasn't long until she returned with a role in true crime drama 'The Bling Ring'.

5/11

Evangeline Lilly

Evangeline Lilly announced her retirement after ‘Lost’ wrapped up in 2010. Lilly decided to step away from acting because she couldn't cope with fame. She said: "I was instantly launched into international stardom, and that was really uncomfortable for me. I instantly balked, didn't know how to deal with it and felt very uncomfortable after that situation. I ended up deciding to retire after I finished 'Lost'." But her passion for acting couldn't be quelled and she returned to work with roles in ‘Real Steel’, ‘The Hobbit’, ‘Ant-Man’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ among many more. (©BANG Showbiz)

6/11

Alec Baldwin

After playing the hilarious Jack Donaghy in the hit comedy series ’30 Rock’ from 2006 to 2010, Alec Baldwin announced his retirement to the public. However, just as actress Evangeline Lilly, it did not actually happen. The actor starred in the films ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ and ‘Aloha’ the following year, which was followed by many other projects including ‘Blind’ and ‘The Boss Baby’.

7/11

Tina Turner

In 2000, 'The Best' singer Tina Turner said goodbye to her audience and even offered a series of farewell performances as part of her ‘Twenty-Four Seven’ tour. Nine years later, however, Tina came back to celebrate her 50 years in music. Tina's anniversary shows banked her $86.4 million.

8/11

Michael Jordan

In 1993 basketball superstar Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA, which was followed by a deal with the Chicago White Sox two years later. He then quit in 1995 to re-join the Chicago Bulls… only to retire again in 1999! In 2001, he became part of the Washington Wizards squad before retiring again in 2003.

9/11

Amanda Bynes

‘Hairspray’ and ‘What a Girl Wants’ star Amanda Bynes took to Twitter to announce her retirement in 2010, when she was 24 years old. However, only a couple of months later she tweeted that she was “unretired.” That same year she shared credits with Emma Stone on ‘Easy A’.

10/11

Phil Collins

Over 204 and 2005 Phil Collins embarked on a goodbye tour, however the comical title of the tour - 'The First Final Farewell Tour' - hinted that more was to come. In 2017, Phil went on his 'Not Dead Yet Tour'. This year he reunited with his Genesis bandmates for a run of shows and confirmed on stage that at the age of 71 he was calling time on his live career due to various health issues.

11/11

LL Cool J

In 2016, rapper LL Cool J left his Twitter followers shocked after he announced his retirement on the social media site. However, his 'retirement' lasted only a couple of hours! That same day, the ‘I Can’t Live Without My Radio’ singer came back to promote his album ‘Todd Smith’.