Change of pace: Sunrise’s Samantha Armytage says she ‘prioritised her private life and health over work’ during self-isolation with her boyfriend Richard Lavender
She took some time off earlier this year to recover from a respiratory infection.
And Sunrise star Samantha Armytage says she changed her outlook on life during self-isolation with her boyfriend Richard Lavender, 60, following the bushfires and amid the coronavirus pandemic.
She told The Australian Women’s Weekly on Thursday she decided to focus on her private life and put her health first.
Getting her priorities straight: Sunrise’s Samantha Armytage took six weeks off earlier this year to rest and recover from a respiratory infection following the bushfire season and the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic
‘I wanted to prioritise my life, my health, my private life and my happiness over work,’ she explained.
Samantha stayed at her home in the Southern Highlands town of Bowral with her equestrian businessman beau, just as the coronavirus lockdown was enforced.
After several weeks in isolation, the self-confessed introvert realised the important things in life.
Private life: She told The Australian Women’s Weekly on Thursday she decided to focus on her private life and put her health first
She said she was able to reconnect with old friends, as well as work on having less material things and making her life easy.
‘I want to simplify my life, make my world smaller. I have a wonderful life, a great family, a great group of friends, we all have our health and I don’t need much more,’ she said.
Samantha recently set her social media accounts to private after facing international backlash over her controversial 2015 interview with UK mixed-race twins Lucy and Mary Alymer amid the #BlackLivesMatter protests.
Backlash: Samantha recently set her social media accounts to private after facing international backlash over her controversial 2015 interview with UK mixed-race twins Lucy and Mary Alymer amid the #BlackLivesMatter protests
Earlier this month, the segment was widely circulated on Twitter and re-published by overseas news websites.
‘Maria has taken after her half Jamaican mum with dark skin and brown eyes and curly dark hair, but Lucy got her dad’s fair skin, good on her, along with straight red hair and blue eyes,’ the Seven presenter said at the time.
Co-host David ‘Kochie’ Koch seemed taken aback by the comment, and gave a confused glance in her direction.
Controversial comment: At the time of the segment, Samantha said, ‘Maria has taken after her half Jamaican mum with dark skin and brown eyes and curly dark hair, but Lucy got her dad’s fair skin, good on her, along with straight red hair and blue eyes’
Taken aback: Her co-host David ‘Kochie’ Koch seemed taken aback by the comment, and gave a confused glance in Sam’s direction
Samantha apologised for the comment days later in 2015, saying in a statement to Daily Mail Australia: ‘I would be mortified if anyone thought I would say or think anything racist. It’s not in my nature. To anyone who I might have offended, I’m sorry.’
In the days that followed, the clip was shared thousands of times on Twitter and some users claimed the video is an example of ‘white privilege’ and ‘casual racism’.
Samantha has since set her Instagram page to private.