A TOP TV star traded their on-screen dreams for a career out of the spotlight when acting work dried up.

Child star Devon Werkheiser, 32, was the protagonist in hit Nickelodeon series Ned's Declassified.

The US programme premiered in 2004 and ran for three seasons.

The plotline followed main character Ned Bigby, played by Devon, who gave tips and tricks to the viewers about surviving middle schools, while still figuring it out himself.

Yet he revealed after his initial flurry of fame aged 12, things didn't exactly go to plan when the show wrapped in 2007.

Despite seeking the help of an acting coach he picked up ad hoc roles on other Nickelodeon series ye felt his career never accelorated.

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He told Business Insider that, aged 25, he needed a 9-5 job.

Opening up on the cruel path of fame, he told the publication: "I was never ridiculous with my money, but I would eat out or go on trips when I wanted to.

"I'd always be living on my savings until the next job came and refilled it, then I'd live on my savings some more.

"Over the years, supporting-role jobs started paying less in the industry, and at the same time I was booking less and less.

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"The only thing I knew to do was to go get some hourly job and start working my way out of my situation. I got a 9-to-5 for the first time in my life.

"It was a real wake-up call for me… I realised I still had a lot to learn about adult life."

Devon was the front of house at trendy US and UK luxury gym chain Equinox.

His role was to check-in gym-goers at the reception desk.

He coupled this with a host of other "day jobs" according to Speech Bubble.

Devon added: "It's not something to cry about.

"It's uncomfortable growth, but no, it's normal.

"My dad worked day jobs since he was 13, ya know? It's not really a 'boohoo' thing, but it was painful at times."

Meanwhile, in his telly heyday, Devon starred alongside Lindsey Shaw in the hit TV show.

She played one of Bigby's two best friends, Jennifer Mosely, who went by Moze on the show.

Recently, she started trending following backlash to her TikTok dance comments – leaving her sobbing following a slew of online abuse.

Following a video posted of her appearing to mock a popular clip of Black creators performing a dance, she wrote "Hey, are we OK? What the f*** is this?"

Those comments did not make fans happy and she started receiving hate messages in her inbox.

She then decided to post a video addressing the situation on her Instagram story.

"I just have to say right now that the hate in my inbox is not okay," the star said.

"I did not mean anything in any kind of way. I am learning every day, as I think everybody is. And this kind of hate just needs to evaporate from the planet, no matter who it's directed towards. Crocodile tears? No, dude — this is like my soul out there. If you know anything about what I stand for or what I believe in, you know that it's not this."

She said her intentions were to poke fun at differences between millennials and Gen Z and said she is, "sorry you were offended."

Reacting to the drama, her co-star Devon said at the time: "Lindsey [made] a very unnecessary video hating on the most popular trend on TikTok that happens to be created by Black creators, and getting rather reactionary and defensive in her comment section before deleting the video."

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While he said he did not agree with the video Shaw posted, he defended his former co-star in the end, saying that she has a "good heart and is dealing with personal issues."

He revealed that he was standing by her because "friends don't get canceled in real life."

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