Samantha Armytage has quit as the host of Sunrise live on air after more than eight years of appearing on the Seven Network's top-rated breakfast show.
Key points:
- Samantha Armytage will co-host Sunrise for the last time on Thursday this week
- She said it had been a "bittersweet" six months, which included her mother's death and her wedding
- Armytage said she would take a break before deciding on what she'll do next
Armytage, 44, said she would be taking a break before "deciding on my next chapter", capping a 22-year stint in broadcast journalism.
Armytage delivered the news this morning on the couch next to longtime co-host David Koch.
She will appear on the show for the last time on Thursday.
"As many of you know, of my personal life the last six months have been very bittersweet," she said, wiping away tears.
"Some bits have been very happy and some bits have been very, very sad.
"I want to step out of this public world for a while take some time and calm things down [and] enjoy a bit of slow living and spend some time with my precious family, my husband and (dog) Banjo."
In announcing her departure, Armytage quoted her late mother Libby Armytage who told her to "edit your life frequently and ruthlessly; it’s your masterpiece after all".
Supplied: Channel Seven
)Libby Armytage died late last year from autoimmune disease.
Armytage also married her partner Richard Lavender in December after a six-month engagement.
A Sunrise strap across the bottom of the screen read that "she's going with our blessings", a sentiment echoed by Armytage who described support from Seven's senior figures.
Armytage joined the couch at Sunrise opposite Koch in 2013, replacing Melissa Doyle.
She had been hosting Weekend Sunrise for seven years when she joined the weekday edition, the highest-rated breakfast show in Australia.
LoadingFellow media personalities took to social media to wish her well, including News Corp columnist Rita Panahi who applauded her being able to "go out on [her] terms".
ABC News Breakfast Michael Rowland also congratulated her on a "great run in the crazy, unrelenting world of Breakfast TV".
The Sunrise Facebook post of her departure was also filled with hundreds of comments, with many saying they will miss her.
But her post in the morning slot was not without controversy; Armytage was sued for racial vilification in June 2020 over a 2018 segment about Indigenous adoption.
She falsely claimed that Indigenous children could not be fostered by non-Indigenous people, which was found to be in breach of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice.
Watchdog Australian Communications and Media Authority found the segment contained inaccurate statements and "strong negative generalisations about Indigenous people as a group".
She also apologised in 2015 for making a positive remark about a woman who appeared to have whiter skin than her twin.
AAP: Peter Rae
)Armytage today said she needed to "take a break".
"I go out of this job at a time of my own choosing and on top of the ratings which not many people in television can say they do," she said.
"I'm extremely proud of my almost eight years at the helm of Sunrise.
"My seven years before that at Weekend Sunrise and my almost 18 years with the Seven network."
Co-host David Koch expressed sadness, telling her that "we [at Sunrise] are going to miss you so much".
Armytage said she was looking forward to enjoying a more calm life.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiWWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTAzLTA4L3N1bnJpc2UtaG9zdC1zYW1hbnRoYS1hcm15dGFnZS1xdWl0cy1wb3N0LzEzMjI2MDYw0gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEzMjI2MDYw?oc=5
2021-03-08 00:06:19Z
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