Samantha Armytage reveals how her taste in men has ‘dramatically’ changed since split from Richard Lavender and speaks about those ‘feuds’ with Sunrise stars and her ‘Act Two’ – as she makes peace with Daily Mail in our first sit-down interview

Samantha Armytage has become ‘pretty discerning and discreet’ when it comes to her love life following her split from Richard Lavender.

The Golden Bachelor host, 50, and her equestrian businessman ex-husband, 67, confirmed their split in December 2024 following more than five years together.

Richard has reportedly moved on with Double Bay socialite Georgie Curran, after they were introduced by media manager David Leckie’s widow, Skye.

Sam, on the other hand, has been living the high life back in Sydney following her separation from Richard and subsequent move back to the city.

And while Sam is attempting to keep a low profile in the dating market, she has revealed what she is really looking for in a man in her very first sit-down interview with the Daily Mail, after years of strained relations between us.

‘I certainly think as a woman, as you get older, it dramatically changes what you’re looking for,’ she said. 

‘What you want in a man and a partner, and what you will tolerate and won’t tolerate. That has dramatically changed for me, and I’m sure many other women my age. 

‘That actually gives you a lot more power and a lot more freedom. You make choices a lot faster.’

Sam thinks that men have become more interesting now she is considering partners who have ‘got bigger jobs’ and ‘a lot more going on in their lives’.  

‘I think a lot of men become a lot more well-rounded and interesting [as they age]. So that’s good. That’s actually exciting,’ she said.

Even just in the last five to ten years, her taste in men has shifted since she was married to Richard whom she married on New Year’s Eve in 2020.

‘That was 10 years ago when I first met my now ex-husband. So yeah, I mean, gosh, your whole 40s, you dramatically change what you’re looking for,’ she explained. 

‘I now have a priority on meeting someone and connecting with someone who calms your nervous system. That’s very important to me now. 

‘And [someone who] is kind and is caring and has their own life. Your wish list changes, and that’s good.’

Sam moved from Sydney to Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands in 2021 to  embrace a quieter lifestyle.

At the time, her stardom had shot up as the popular host of Sunrise, but the longtime TV star shocked her fans when she quit her breakfast show shortly after her move to the country.

She took on less work at Seven, becoming the host of Farmer Wants A Wife in 2023 after appearing on the show in a support role in 2022. 

Sam initially lived on Richard’s 40-hectare rural property in the Southern Highlands, before later purchasing and renovating a home in Moss Vale. 

Following their split, she has since relocated back to Sydney and jumped ship to Nine. 

Sam, who is no longer in touch with Richard, said she is so much happier being back in the big smoke but wouldn’t rule out moving to the country for a partner again.

‘You just never know who you’re gonna meet and where you’re gonna end up, but my heart is always in the country. I am a country girl,’ she explained.

‘I grew up down near Adaminaby in the Snowy Mountains, and my dad is in Wagga. So I’m very much a country girl. I’m not sure I’d move to the country again. 

‘I think right now I get my energy from the city, and I love that, but never say never… In this industry, you do really need to be in the city. 

‘But I understand why I moved to the country when I did. Why I bought a country house back in those Sunrise days. 

‘Life was so hectic and it was so busy, and I did want to retreat and I just needed to find some calm and some peace. So I totally understand why I did that. 

‘I don’t really need to do that now. Life has changed, and I manage everything a lot better now. And my boundaries are much stricter now. 

‘So, I’m in a better place from that perspective. But I still love the country and I’m still a huge supporter of regional Australia, because I really know country people.’ 

Sam is also no longer in touch with her Sunrise colleagues but she insists it has nothing to do with any ‘feuds’. 

‘I think we all sort of move in different directions now. I haven’t seen anyone for ages, but that’s not to say that’s a deliberate thing,’ she said.

‘I’m really sort of trapped in my own bubble at the moment, getting a business up and running. There’s no hard feelings there. We’re all at very different stages of our lives.

‘When you leave a network, you sort of really do move on and I’m happy to do so. I mean, it’s been five years since I worked at Sunrise, so it’s a lifetime ago.’

She was also quick to address the persistent rumours she had a long-running feud with her former co-star and Sunrise replacement Natalie Barr. 

Natalie, 58, and Sam starred on Sunrise together for almost eight years, from June 2013 to March 2021.

When Sam resigned, Natalie took over as the main co-host, presenting alongside David ‘Kochie’ Koch, before he left and Matt Shirvington replaced him. 

Reports of a feud between Sam and Natalie go back as early as 2019, but ramped up after Sam left Sunrise. 

Sam said she is ‘fed up with tabloids trying to create women versus women stories’.  

‘I try not to get too annoyed by things these days in the press, but that actually really does annoy me,’ she said.

‘Whenever you have two women on a set or a job up for grabs, instantly the media still pits women against women. I wonder how long we stand for that. 

‘That actually really does annoy me. So no, there was no truth to that [feud]. I moved on.

‘She’s now the host [of Sunrise] and she’s doing an admirable job and I wish her all the best.’

Sam also put to bed any speculation that she has a feud with fellow Nine star and new Today host Sylvia Jeffreys after she scored the coveted gig following Sarah Abo’s departure, or media personality Jess Rowe over their competing podcasts. 

‘I don’t have a feud with Sylvia and I think the most recent one was that Jess Rowe and I were having a feud. It’s all completely ridiculous,’ she explained. 

‘Jess is a great mate of mine. It is very tiresome that the tabloids seem to think that will sell papers or get clicks. 

‘That women feuding against women, catfights, sell papers, because it’s not true, for the most part. There’s plenty of men out there who don’t like each other.

‘I think there’s a perception that other women are going to click on them [the stories], and I don’t think that’s true. 

‘As soon as I read a story now, my eyes glaze over because I think, “Really? Are you really going to pit these women against each other?”

‘I texted Jess the other day to say, “Oh, for God’s sake”, and she was the same. Like, I’m going over to dinner with Jess and Pete in a few weeks’ time. 

‘She’s a great mate of mine. Again, in this industry, we go way back. I worked with her 20 years ago. We have stayed in touch. We are mates. 

‘It’s just kind of tiresome and I don’t even answer to that sort of stuff. It’s so silly. It’s not even worth talking about.’

Instead, the TV veteran is now putting her energy into a new media venture, recently starting up a new podcast called Act Two.

The weekly interview series launched on October 13 with actress Rebel Wilson as her first guest and cricketer Michael Clarke as her second.  

‘It’s been liberating to a degree to start something in my own name and for myself,’ the Nine star said. 

‘I have worked for big networks – commercial networks – for 28 years. It’s really liberating to do something for myself and run a business. 

‘It does sort of shift the way that you operate. I’ve put so much hard work into Act Two because it is mine.’

Sam has already managed to land a huge sponsor, with upscale department store Myer signing on to support her latest venture. 

‘Myer has come on board as a major sponsor. That’s really an exciting partnership. It means the show goes to another level now,’ she explained. 

 ‘I’m in the process of chatting to other possible sponsors who are also huge iconic brands. So, from a business perspective, it’s really exciting.’