Samantha Armytage: “I’ve learnt to love my body”

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In her book Shine, a collection of her life lessons and advice, Samantha Armytage takes a candid look back on her past and shares wisdom she’s learnt along the way.

From being a “skinny tomboy” to a teen who “ballooned” in boarding school after toast-eating competitions, through to her transformation into one of the most popular faces on TV, the Sunrise co-host covers it all. “I get a lot of attention for my figure,” she writes in an exclusive extract in WHO. “I’ve had to stick up for myself so many times … Now I love my shape—I celebrate it.”

The journalist, 37, revisits the highs and lows of her life, including the “traumatising” time in 2011 when she appeared on Dancing With the Stars and her weight became a national hot topic. “Suddenly it seemed like the whole of Australia was talking about my weight. It was awful,” she writes. “All of a sudden I was experiencing something I’d never felt. Self-doubt. Was I fat? If so, why had I never realised this?”

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But the vivacious star bounced back, and these days has found her formula for body confidence. “I enjoy that cake, then take my dog for a walk,” writes Armytage, who works out at home with a rowing machine and does yoga. “I aim to be the best I can be, to look after the body and life I have.”

For the full exclusive extract from Samantha Armytage’s book, pick up this week's issue of WHO, on sale today.

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