Rachel Fieldhouse
Food & Wine

"I took a leap of faith": Sam Armytage opens up on life after Sunrise

Samantha Armytage has spoken candidly about her life after Sunrise, and how meeting the love of her life prompted her to make some “massive changes” in her life.

Armytage spoke during the launch of Dan Murphy’s new lines of rosé wine in Sydney - including Brad Pitt’s wine, Miraval Côtes de Provence.

“I enjoyed the lunch immensely, the French Rosé wines we tasted were truly exceptional,” Armytage said of the event, which included a lunch and tasting of the new wines.

“The only thing missing was Brad Pitt!”

In her post-lunch speech, Armytage mused on the upcoming one-year anniversary of her leaving the popular breakfast show.

“In a few weeks time it would have been 12 months since I made a huge move towards renewal and a massive new beginning of my own,” she began.

“My mother used to say to us Armytage kids, ‘edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all’. And so finally, I did.

“During my ongoing career, I’ve been placed into a huge, wonderful for the most part, highly-scrutinised, high-adrenaline, high-pressure job.”

Samantha Armytage shared how she came to dramatically change her life at the launch of Dan Murphy’s new rosé wines. Image: Supplied

Armytage said she began to “rethink everything” after seeing a “few sign posts” that made her realise her success was just one part of her story.

“I was in my 40s. I was independent, financially and emotionally. I’d made it to the top of my tree in my industry. I have nothing to prove to anyone. And it was one chapter, it was not the whole story,” she said.

Now 45, Armytage said her mother’s passing in 2020, intense media scrutiny, and her home being vandalised made her realise she had “had enough”, and meeting her now-husband Richard Lavender helped her find her new path in life.

“I met a divine and decent man, sweeter than the sweetest rose,” she said.

“I found the love of my life at 42. How lucky am I? And I realised you do not find the happy life, you make it.”

So she made “massive changes” to her life which led to her leaving Sydney for the NSW Southern Highlands.

“I took a huge leap of faith, a scary and risky move and I’m sure many more ambitious types thought I was mad. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. It gave me time, that most precious commodity,” she continued.

Image: Supplied

“The universe moved me towards a more honest, joyful and calm place. I found healing, proper rest, a chance to honour feelings and gave my body and mind a break.

“I unfollowed negative people on social media accounts, I stopped watching negative TV. I realised I didn’t have to dominate an industry to be successful or to be number one at anything.”

Armytage also reflected on the new opportunities she’s had since leaving Sunrise and shared how she couldn’t be happier writing for Stellar Magazine and working on her popular podcast, Something To Talk About With Samantha Armytage.

Image: Supplied

Tags:
Food and Wine, Samatha Armytage, Sunrise, Dan Murphy's