Samantha Armytage announces shock split from husband Richard Lavender: 'Breakups are hard'

Samantha Armytage has confirmed she and her husband of almost four years, Richard Lavender, are broken up. The pair were wed on New Year's Eve 2020.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the pair initially split up several months ago, and the former Sunrise presenter moved out of Richard's NSW Southern Highlands home and returned to Sydney, where she previously lived while working in breakfast TV.

"Yes, Richard and I have separated. All breakups are hard, but it’s somewhat lessened by the fact it’s amicable and we wish the best for each other," she told the publication.

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"I appreciate you respecting our privacy. I won’t be making any further comment."

News.com.au claims the reason for the split was due to tensions between Sam and Richard's adult daughters.

Samantha Armytage and Richard Lavender's relationship

Samantha and Richard first began dating in April 2019 and announced their engagement in June 2020, with the presenter revealing on Sunrise how he popped the question.

"We’d been picking weeds in the paddock and he said ‘darling, do you want to marry me?" she said.

"It was very sweet, very romantic."

"He’s just a very, charming, lovely fellow. He is totally the opposite of the showbiz world and TV."

She added that Richard asked her dad Mac for permission before proposing, with Sam saying he's a total "gentleman".

"We’re all thrilled, our families are the happiest, they’re so excited."

They planned their wedding in just three days, with Sam revealing on Sunrise, "Three days before we decided we'd do it for New Year's Eve."

"We did it, we got it done, it was a little bit stressful for me but Rich was very relaxed.

"It was dad, my dad, we were all sitting around, at Christmas time as you do, having a champagne and beer on the verandah, and dad said because of COVID and everyone's in lockdown…dad said ‘just do it, for god’s sake, just do it,’ so we did it!"

"It was nice, there was 12 of us there, we organised it in three days and it was fun."

Samantha Armytage leaves Seven

Sam decided to leave Channel Seven earlier this year after first finishing up on Sunrise in 2021.

She took to Instagram in August to share the news, writing, "21 is a coming-of-age. And so, after that many years, I am departing Channel 7 with lots of happy memories, a full heart & huge thanks to the many fantastic colleagues along the journey.

"There’s too many highlights to list ~ I have hosted almost every show in the network (from Sunrise dawn to Farmer’s dusk) ~ & covered many of the important news stories of the past 2 decades."

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She added, "I started at 7 as a fresh-faced 26yo journo & will leave as a .. ahem… more mature-faced woman - who’s worked hard, had THE most incredible experiences & also a lot of fun.

"I hope I’ve brought a little bit of info & sparkle into your living rooms so far 💫 to ALL who watched, thank you for tuning-in for so many years. This is not the end, just the end of this chapter."

Sam has since moved to Channel Nine, where she will host The Golden Bachelor next year, as well as fill in for the Today show hosts when they are on Christmas leave.

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