5 Forgotten Teen Idols – Inside the Lives of Celebrities Now Far from the Spotlight
Celebrities like John Walmsley, Leif Garrett, Bo Derek, and more gave up their Hollywood lives for more normal ones. Some of these stars relocated to quieter places while others took on selfless medical work.
Ali MacGraw, Bobby Sherman, and other celebrities are now living completely different lives than the ones they led while in Hollywood. Some of them found their true callings like activism and more. Read on to learn all about what they’re doing now.
https://www.facebook.com/v14.0/plugins/post.php?app_id=493078077833106&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df00d3003117caeeec%26domain%3Dnews.amomama.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fnews.amomama.com%252Ffc50e3bdff3f2654a%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=600&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FJONWALMSLEYFAN%2Fphotos%2Fa.286748862821375%2F435720451257548%3FmWidth%3D350%26mHeight%3D443%26dWidth%3D600%26dHeight%3D486&locale=en_US&sdk=joey
John Walmsley’s Life after “The Waltons”
Jon Walmsley was famously known for playing the role of John-Boy’s younger brother, Jason Walton, on the television series “The Waltons,” which premiered in 1972 and ran for nine seasons until 1981.
Jon Walmsley as Jason Walton and Judy Norton Taylor as Mary Ellen Walton on the set of an episode of “The Waltons” on September 20, 1977 | Source: Getty Images
Since October 2019, Walmsley has been living away from the spotlight in Cornwall, Britain, after relocating from California, Living an anonymous life with her wife, Marion, the pair doesn’t have any children.
Walmsley’s parents were originally from Lancashire, Britain. They relocated to California when he was two, and he fell in love with Cornwall during a visit. Speaking about his anonymity in the quiet town, the voice of Christopher Robin for Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh” said:
“I don’t really get recognized as I changed my look a few years ago and now look quite different than on ‘The Waltons.'”
https://www.facebook.com/v14.0/plugins/post.php?app_id=493078077833106&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df9faab41dd8691d5d%26domain%3Dnews.amomama.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fnews.amomama.com%252Ffc50e3bdff3f2654a%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=600&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10156361401717663%26set%3Dpb.100044587892665.-2207520000%26mWidth%3D350%26mHeight%3D373%26dWidth%3D600%26dHeight%3D560&locale=en_US&sdk=joey
Instead of being upset that people didn’t know who he was, the successful musician shared how being anonymous was an advantage for him because he was a people-watcher. He noted how people tended to act differently around celebrities.
Walmsley said he and his wife loved the coastal path, the woods, the sea, the sheep, the farms, the wild ponies, the cows, and the “good food” where they now live. He explained how they’d gone there for vacations for years and that it started feeling like home.
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=true&id=1330137065388961795&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.amomama.com%2F421628-5-forgotten-teen-idols-inside-the-lives.html&sessionId=2c36a49e4ae9aa3176f73599d3be1d2d3191035b&siteScreenName=amomama&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
On his music website, Walmsley recalled how he and his wife had chosen not to go on vacation in 2018 but to move to England in the summer. By June of that year, they’d already sold their car and RV and bid their friends and neighbors in Maine goodbye.
Some of the items Walmsley took with him to England included two parakeets he inherited from his mother, who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease. The actor and Marion started a new life, bought a car, opened a bank account, and registered with the National Health Service.
https://www.facebook.com/v14.0/plugins/post.php?app_id=493078077833106&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Dfe889fcc9cc8acb0f%26domain%3Dnews.amomama.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fnews.amomama.com%252Ffc50e3bdff3f2654a%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=600&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FJONWALMSLEYFAN%2Fposts%2F10155222026187663%3FmWidth%3D350%26mHeight%3D554%26dWidth%3D600%26dHeight%3D783&locale=en_US&sdk=joey
The couple has since been enjoying the moors, coastal paths, historic churches, and pubs in Cornwall. According to IMDb, Walmsley retired from acting and seemed to be thriving out of the spotlight. In a 2018 Thanksgiving post on Facebook, Marion was photographed kissing her husband on the cheek, with him confessing how “thankful” he was for his wife.
A drastic change in his appearance was also evident—he was gaunter, and his full red hair was replaced by shorter grays. He was also sporting a gray beard and mustache. This was a far cry from his images in February and June 2015, when he looked more like what his fans were used to. Being out of the limelight has been good for Jon Walmsley, who celebrated a big milestone in 2023 – turning 67!
Leif Garrett- The former Teen Heartthrob
Leif Garrett, along with David and Shaun Cassidy and the Bay City Rollers, was one of the names people thought of when it came to ’70s teenage idols. The “I Was Made for Dancin'” singer earned worldwide fans for his boyish looks and pop songs.
Leif Garrett during Music File Photos in the 1970s in Los Angeles | Source: Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
However, in 2023, he saddened fans when they saw his look at age 61. The star was a wholesome act that was inoffensive to his mainly pre-teenage girl fans and their parents, but his adult career was doomed.
In the mid-’80s, his career was pretty much done, although Garrett went back to acting in movies that didn’t gain much traction. Sadly, he was also struggling with substance abuse and the guilt over his involvement in one of his friends, Roland Winkler, becoming paralyzed from a car accident.