Actress Nomsa Nene has returned to TV screens after a 16-year break she says was fueled by frustration and bitterness.

Nomsa will make her surprise return to TV screens on e.tv’s new telenovela Broken Vows on Monday‚ her first role since leaving e.tv’s breakfast show The Toasty Show in 2001.

The actress‚ who won over TV audiences during the 90’s on the game show Zama Zama‚ told TshisaLIVE that she decided to take a break in 2001 because she was frustrated with the state of the industry and wanted to pursue her other passions.

“I had carried this bitterness towards showbiz‚ especially from Zama Zama ending so abruptly. Imagine going from happily employed to not having a job in just seven days? I was hurt. So‚ when I looked at the state of the industry after The Toasty Show I saw there was no unity and there was no one standing up for us. I was bitter and so I decided to go into property‚” Nomsa explained.

Nomsa said that she was often asked by friends and family if she would ever return to screens.

“I would often get asked when I would be returning to TV. People would say: ‘We miss seeing you’. I would tell them that if they really missed me that much they could visit me at a show house on a Sunday afternoon. I will entertain them for two or three hours free of charge‚” she said with a laugh.

Norma added that she received several offers for roles over the last few years but never felt like the time was right for a return to showbiz

“I got offers but it was only when I saw this role that I knew I wanted to return to screen. I was born an actor and I will die an actor. It is in my blood. I was just waiting for the right time to return‚” she said.