Sam Armytage's major new role
Sam Armytage is making a move back to permanent hosting duties for the first time since leaving Sunrise in 2021.
In a massie shake-up for Channel 7, Armytage has been announced as the new host for Farmer Wants a Wife, taking over from long-serving host Natalie Gruzlewski.
Gruzlewski has hosted the reality show on and off since it began in 2007, with Armytage occasionally stepping in as the co-host.
The two women have essentially swapped roles, with Gruzlewski staying on the team to co-host and mingle with contestants.
When Armytage joined the show last year, she would engage with contestants in a more casual setting while Gruzlewski fronted the show.
In a press release issued by Seven on Monday, it casually referred to Armytage as “host” and Gruzlewski as “co-host” in the last line of the statement.
The media outlet did not address the major shake-up in their press release, but rather spoke to TV Tonight about what the host change will mean for the show.
Seven’s director of scheduling Brook Hall said, “They’re both in the show still. [Previously] Nat was front and centre and Sam was advising on dates. But if I’m being honest, they’ve kind of slightly flipped.”
“Nat has ‘Nat’s Getaway’ [a segment on Farmer] so she’ll be co-host, she’ll be opening the start. It’s more blended, with one front and one appearing. But yes, Samantha Armytage is taking more centre stage.”
Farmer Wants a Wife originally aired on the Nine network from 2007 until 2012, before it was revived for one season in 2016 with Sam McClymont as host.
It was cancelled shortly afterwards, before Seven picked up the rights to the show in 2019 and commissioned a new season, with Gruzlewski returning as series host yet again.
Image credits: Seven