Sunrise host Sam Armytage said she wanted to ‘step out of this public world for a while’ as she announced her resignation live on air on Monday.
And it’s fair to say her life will look very different once she turns off her daily 3am alarm and walks away from Australia’s top-rating breakfast show.
Daily Mail Australia takes a look at what’s potentially on the horizon for Sam, 44, as the sun officially sets on her Sunrise career.
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Fresh country air, time with family and a new podcast: What Sam Armytage’s ‘slow-living’ lifestyle will look like after cancelling her 3am alarm and quitting Sunrise after eight years as host. Pictured here with her husband, Richard Lavender, at his Southern Highlands estate
For months, it was rumoured that 2021 would be Sam’s last year hosting Sunrise.
Speculation was rife she wanted to quit TV and focus on family life with Bowral businessman Richard Lavender, whom she married on New Year’s Eve.
The death of her mother, Libby, from an autoimmune disease in November had also made her rethink her priorities in life, sources said.
Gossip: For months, it was rumoured that 2021 would be Sam’s last year hosting Sunrise. Speculation was rife she wanted to quit TV and focus on family life with Bowral businessman Richard Lavender, whom she married on New Year’s Eve (pictured on their wedding day)
Sad loss: The death of her mother, Libby (left), from an autoimmune disease in November had also made her rethink her priorities in life, sources said
Family life with her husband, Richard Lavender
Sam made it clear during her farewell speech that she was quitting Sunrise to spend more time with her family.
‘I want to step out of this public world for a while and take some time and calm things down, enjoy a bit of slow living, and spend some time with my precious family, my husband and [dog] Banjo,’ she said on Monday.
Sam has been settling into married life with horse breeder Richard, 60, at his sprawling estate in the NSW Southern Highlands over the last few months.
Stepping away: Sam explained she was leaving of her own choosing, and was looking forward to life away from the spotlight to start her new life with husband Richard (right)
Sam would stay in a hotel in Sydney during the week because of her early starts, and return to the Southern Highlands at weekends to live with her husband.
She has spoken warmly of life on Richard’s acreage property, and how he built her an impressive stone path at the homestead.
In June last year, Sam sold her North Bondi home for $2.8million, which suggested she was planning to moving to the country full time.
‘Take some time and calm things down, enjoy a bit of slow living’: Sam would stay in a hotel in Sydney during the week because of her early starts, and return to the Southern Highlands at weekends to live with her husband. Pictured at the beach in 2019 with her dog Banjo
Plans for motherhood?
Sam has no children of her own, but she has been the proud owner of a Labrador Retriever named Banjo since late 2016.
The Channel Seven host said in 2017 she had always wanted children, but was also at peace with the idea of never becoming a mother.
‘Well, yes [I want kids], I’ve never made any secret of it. But I don’t know whether that is my path,’ she told The Daily Telegraph two years before meeting Richard.
‘It would be nice but if it doesn’t happen then c’est la vie and if it does, it would be lovely,’ Sam added.
She is now a step-mother to Richards’s two grown-up daughters, Grace and Sasha.
Richard, who is a successful equestrian businessman, shares his daughters with his ex-wife, Kate Lavender.
‘Yes, I want kids, I’ve never made any secret of it’: The Channel Seven host said in 2017 she had always wanted children, but was also at peace with the idea of never becoming a mother. Pictured on Sunrise with Bonds baby competition entrants in 2017
Caretaker to father Mac
Sam said one of the reasons she resigned from Sunrise was because she wanted to spend more time with her father, Mac.
Mac suffered a stroke last year and did four weeks of rehab sessions at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney in September.
Sam’s late mother, Libby, had been ‘gravely ill for a while’ and was already in hospital when Mac collapsed from a stroke while on his way to visit her.
Sam said at the time: ‘Luckily he wasn’t out the back of Wagga [Mac lives on the family farm in Wagga] in a paddock as he probably wouldn’t be here to tell the tale.’
‘He’s a tough old bugger and he’s in rehab, frustrated but determined. And giving plenty of cheek to his long-suffering, wonderful nurses.’
Libby died from an autoimmune disease in November.
Daddy’s girl: Sam also said on Monday that one of the reasons she resigned was because she wanted to spend more time with her father, Mac (right), who suffered a stroke last year
Health concerns: Sam’s father, Mac, suffered a stroke last year and did four weeks of rehab sessions at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney in September. Pictured in 2017
Career movements
Seven West Media’s Chief Executive Officer, James Warburton, said on Monday that Sam would be involved in other projects going into 2022.
‘Sam has been an important part of the Seven team for almost two decades, including eight fantastic years as co-host of Australia’s number-one breakfast show,’ Mr Warburton said in a statement.
‘We will be sad to see her leave Sunrise, but completely understand and support her decision to step back for a while and focus on her family.
‘We wish Sam nothing but the very best for her break and look forward to announcing some exciting new projects for her in late 2021 and into 2022.’
Her $800,000-a-year contract with Seven expires at the end of the year, and she will take an ‘extended’ leave of absence until then, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘She will be looking for roles in prime time shows when she is ready to comeback’: According to industry website TV Blackbox, Sam is likely on a retainer with the network, meaning she won’t be able to defect to a rival network
‘TV isn’t a place that’s necessarily very healthy’: Sam’s emotional farewell comes days after she said the TV industry was full of ‘narcissists and sociopaths’ – remarks which undoubtedly wouldn’t have gone down well with her colleagues. Pictured with co-host David ‘Kochie’ Koch
According to industry website TV Blackbox, Sam is likely on a retainer with the network, meaning she won’t be able to defect to a competitor.
‘She will be looking for roles in prime time shows when she is ready to comeback,’ the publication claimed.
Meanwhile, Sam hinted at other possible roles at Seven in her resignation speech.
‘After I take a break, and only after I feel refreshed, will I decide on my next chapter. Thank you,’ she said.
In the meantime, it’s believed Sam will continue her work as a columnist for The Daily Telegraph’s Stellar magazine, which she has done since 2017.
In February, Sam launched her first podcast called Something to Talk About with Samantha Armytage, in partnership with Stellar.
Still in the media: In February this year, Sam launched her podcast called Something to Talk About with Samantha Armytage, in partnership with Stellar
Hot contender: While Seven has not yet announced Sam’s replacement, industry website TV Blackbox reports newsreader Natalie Barr will likely step in alongside co-anchor David ‘Kochie’ Koch in wake of Sam’s shock departure
While Seven has not yet announced Sam’s replacement, it’s likely newsreader Natalie Barr will likely step in alongside co-anchor David ‘Kochie’ Koch.
Sam had hinted at her resignation in an interview with The Kyle and Jackie O Show last month.
She told hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson that while she was still under contract at Seven, she hadn’t ruled out giving up her TV career.
Sam’s last day on Sunrise will be Thursday, March 11.
Farewell: Sam’s last day on Sunrise will be Thursday, March 11. Pictured alongside co-host Kochie during her tearful announcement on Monday