Aussie TV personality Samantha Armytage has broken her silence around her marriage breakdown, and reflected on a difficult period shrouded in both physical and emotional pain.
The former Sunrise host, 49, and businessman Richard Lavender announced their separation in December last year after marrying at Lavender’s NSW Southern Highlands property in December 2020.
Speaking to Stellar’s podcast Something To Talk About, Armytage told host Sarrah Le Marquand the pair’s split was one of several challenging life events she was forced to navigate occur in 2024.
“Look what I’ll say for my marriage, was that we gave it a go. It didn’t work out, and so we move on,” Armytage said.
“And last year, 2024 was a big year. There was a lot of change and a lot of grief, starting with the loss of my dog, Banjo. He was my baby. So that was an enormous grief.“
Armytage and Lavender began dating in April 2019, and announced their engagement in June of the same year.
The presenter told Sunrise at the time that her fiance was “totally the opposite of the showbiz world and TV”, revealing he had proposed while the pair were gardening.
Armytage added, “I don’t think anybody leaves a marriage without thinking it through quite deeply. You don’t just decide one day and leave the next.
“We’ve all got these thoughts and fears and happy moments we share.”
Armytage’s painful year was compounded by her own health issues, undergoing a hip replacement and being tasked learning “to walk again”.
However, the TV personality insists she feels “better than ever” on the other side of it.
“I was very lucky for a long time, and then, and then things weren’t so lucky. But that’s okay, because that is life, and I got through it,” she said.
“And sometimes you need to go through the grief and the bad times to build up again strong. So I’m not sorry any of that stuff happened, it was a lot in a few short years, but I feel like I’ve come through it better than ever.”
Armytage departed the Seven Network in August after 21 years, including stints at Weekend Sunrise, Today Tonight, The Morning Show, and The Farmer Wants A Wife.
Her latest venture sees her take the reins as host of The Golden Bachelor.
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