In June 2004, Siffredi declared that he would retire from performing in porn for the sake of his children, and instead focus on direction and production. "My children are growing up", he said, "and I can no longer just say 'Dad is going to work to make money for the family'. They want to know more". Regarding Siffredi's long career, Axel Braun commented, "The Problem is that he's been trying for years to find an 'heir to the throne', but it's no easy task. He thought he found him in Nacho Vidal, but then Nacho went his own way". Siffredi, while continuing to direct, was largely absent as an on-screen performer for nearly five years. However, sexual frustration and disappointment as a Director with his male talent and the state of the porn industry overall led Siffredi to return as a performer in 2009. Despite renewed success, Siffredi announced his retirement once again in 2015, shortly after appearing on the Italian reality television show L'Isola dei Famosi (Island of the Famous) which saw him stranded naked and alone on a beach for one week. He was reported to have told a friend, "I never felt so naked as I did then. I was all alone and it gave me a lot of time to think about what is important. And I realised I don't want to lose my wife". He later told the press, "[M]ore than a year ago I started to get uncomfortable in the front of the camera... [S]omething inside of me has changed". However, he has continued performing sex in titles such as Rocco One on One and Rocco's Intimate Castings.