Disney fans shocked after learning Wizards of Waverly Place star had major career change

A child TV star utterly blindsided her former fans this week by revealing which profession she took up after turning her back on acting.

Jennifer Stone shot to fame all the way back in 2007 after impressing bosses at Disney and landing a supporting role on the teenage sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place.

For five years, the young actress played 'Harper Finkle', the loveable partner-in-crime to Selena Gomez's lead 'Alex Russo' - a wisecracking high school student whose family actually hail from a long line of witches and wizards.

Stone also appeared on the show alongside David Henrie and Jake T. Austin, who played Gomez's on-screen brothers Justin and Max, and Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise, who starred as Russo parents, Theresa and Jerry.

The much-loved children's series came to an end in 2012, after which leading lady Gomez, now 32, went on to boast an illustrious film, television and music career.

Stone was cast on Disney Channel in 2007 (Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)

As well as boasting MTV Award wins and nominations at the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, the Emilia Pérez star just so happens to be the most followed woman on Instagram.

In Stone's case, however, the conclusion of Wizards of Waverly Place somewhat marked the beginning of the end of her on-screen career.

After appearing in the low-budget 2011 Mean Girls sequel and the supernatural horror Nothing Left to Fear in 2013, the 32-year-old turned her attention towards education.

In 2019, after earning an Associate of Science in Nursing from Glendale Community College, she achieved a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Azusa Pacific University, and is now a registered nurse.

The revelation came as somewhat of a shock to a number of Stone's former childhood fans, after she shared a raw insight into the world of healthcare on Instagram this week.

The show lasted for five years (Disney)

In the caption of a new social media post - in which the TV star could be seen donning a set of blue scrubs - she passionately penned a tribute to her colleagues whilst marking National Nurses Day.

"'You signed up for this' is something nurses hear all the time," Stone wrote. "But when I look at that young woman from 2020, I know she had no idea what she was signing up for.

"Nursing is mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. We leave our own lives for 12-hour shifts to care for others on their worst days—often enduring abuse from the very people we aim to help.

"Yet we show up, over and over again, to care for the vulnerable, even at the cost of our own well-being at times."

The former Disney favourite continued: "This National Nurses Day, I honour all who persevere.

Stone is now a registered nurse (Instagram/@jenniferstone)

"Though the role has come to include far more than 'we signed up for', may we keep fighting to fix this fractured system—so we can care for others without forgetting to care for ourselves."

In the comments, one surprised fan shared a loving response, writing: "I grew up watching Wizards of Waverly Place and the character of Harper was such an inspiration for me.

"And now that you took that path as a nurse, that you chose to change people's Life, differently, I am also a nurse, and I find it odd I ended up having the same job as the person I inspired to be when I grew up."

Another went on to jibe: "Waking up seeing Harper as your nurse."

Speaking to PEOPLE Magazine last year, Stone revealed that the decision to move into nursing was inspired by a type 1 diabetes diagnosis she received when she was 20.

Stone's decision was inspired by her type 1 diabetes diagnosis (Instagram/@jenniferstone)

"I was like, 'Okay, Let me pivot from majoring in psychology to majoring in something that I can further understand myself better and what's going on with my body and also be able to help people,'" she told the publication.

"I wanted to be somebody that was like, 'Look, I've been where you've been, and it gets better'.

"The hardest phase of a diagnosis story is the not knowing what's going on with your body, not knowing how to treat it. I think that's the most challenging part."

Since 2022, Stone has worked in the Emergency Room at a hospital in California.