Ever since retiring from acting, Pauley Perrette has enjoyed a life of quiet, only making the occasional appearance at philanthropic events while remaining active on social media.
The star, 54, shared the results of her idyllic life in her California home spent in independence, revealing that taking command of the household work herself had given her some serious gains.
In a pair of photos she posted on Instagram, she showed off her impressive muscles by flexing her biceps, each of which bore a pair of flower tattoos.
“Another great advantage of doing all your own yard work,” she wrote alongside her post. “About to do a full tilt hillside terracing job solo…with a shovel, gonna need those guns!”
Her fans were suitably impressed, leaving comments like: “Suns out guns out!! Go conquer your quest!” and: “On top of everything awesome about you, I forget that you’re a bit of a muscle mommy these days, too,” as well as: “Indeed, it will serve you well…We see that you are not in idleness!!!”
The former NCIS star has largely maintained a presence away from the spotlight since retiring from acting, but that doesn’t stop her from stepping out in support of the causes she champions, seen recently on the red carpets at humanitarian and Pride events.
She remains active on social media, however, having become a passionate activist for civil rights. She even directed and produced a documentary, Citizen Lane, about U.S. civil rights attorney and author Mark Lane.
Pauley’s final acting gig was the CBS sitcom Broke, which was canceled in 2020 after just 13 episodes. Her most well-known work remains her 15 year stint on the CBS crime procedural drama which shot her to stardom.
She played forensic scientist Abby Sciuto from its inaugural season in 2003 till the very end of season 15, becoming a fan favorite in the process.
While the California resident hasn’t explicitly stated what caused her to quit acting, rumors swirled of a rift on the NCIS set between her and fellow lead Mark Harmon.
Fans went as far as to analyze scenes to determine if they ever appeared on screen together. It later emerged that in 2016 Mark’s dog – who had often been on set of the show – bit a member of the crew, who then reportedly required 15 stitches.
It was claimed that Pauley was quick to ask for the dog to not be allowed back on set but the animal allegedly did return, and crew members were fearful to ask for a change in the rules because Mark was an executive producer.
The two stars then came to an arrangement with show bosses that stipulated they were never in the same scene at the same time, but in late 2017 Pauley shared the news that she had quit the series, and told CBS Sunday Morning that although it was her choice she was “still grieving.”