Former pop idol Noriko Sakai, who has acted in popular Japanese drama serials like Under One Roof (1993) and Heaven's Coins (1995), is known for her girl-next-door image.

But the singer-actress fell from grace after being arrested in 2009 on drugs charges with her husband Yuichi Takaso, who worked as a professional surfer. She was later given a suspended jail term of 18 months, while Takasao received a suspended jail term of two years.

The couple, who have a 21-year-old son together, divorced in 2010.

Unlike other stars who have fallen into oblivion after such setbacks, Sakai, 49, has made a comeback and focused on the China market, becoming an anti-drug ambassador in China in 2011. She also acted in a stage drama in Japan in 2012 and held her 30th anniversary concert in Tokyo in 2016.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Sakai has become a health advocate of sorts, known for her online posts about healthy eating and exercise, Chinese media reported.

She said in a post in July that she is planning to do yoga six days a week, and wrote last week that she woke up at 5am, had a bath and then began doing yoga.

She said she has maintained this routine for a month, adding that she tried her best to maintain her routine even though she sometimes felt like slacking off.

Sakai has posted photos of herself doing yoga and videos of her doing workouts in the gym. She also writes about her diet, such as taking foods rich in proteins for breakfast.

She recently held two concerts in Hong Kong in 2018 and 2019.