for his 1st break away from the charts,it was because he missed being 'anonymous'.i remember him saying he missed being able to go down the pub with his mates.he made a brief return with 'cry for help' and then disappeared again but this time for popularity reasons !
I heard an interview with him on the radio several months ago, as he was preparing to do a gig at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.
He basically said that he made enough money from his Stock Aitken and Waterman days to live a comfortably life, and no longer chase stardom, and was now doing the above performance to play music that he really cared about.
According to his website (which I just found via Google); http://www.rickastley.co.uk/ He is about to tour and has a new record deal.