Sam Armytage returned to Sunrise on Tuesday morning, two days after announcing her engagement to horse breeder Richard Lavender.
And in a surprising twist, the 43-year-old presenter revealed on air that Richard, 60, had actually proposed ‘weeks ago’, but she’d managed to keep it a secret until Sunday.
Sam’s co-host David ‘Kochie’ Koch looked surprised by the revelation.
It’s official! Sam announced her engagement to Richard in an Instagram post on Sunday. She uploaded two photos of herself posing in the arms of her fiancé, with a diamond ring on her wedding finger
‘Kochie, it is very private. It was a few weeks ago.’ she said.
While Kochie was stunned that she had kept it quiet for so long, there was actually a very practical reason behind the decision.
‘We had to wait for the ring to arrive,’ Sam said. ‘We had a lovely time just with family.’
But Kochie wasn’t going to leave it at that, as he grilled his colleague for more details about her engagement, including where Richard had proposed.
‘In the paddock,’ said Sam, revealing that the couple had been picking firewood on Richard’s property in the Southern Highlands when he popped the question.
‘We were picking firewood, post drought… We were pulling weeds by hand,’ she said.
Rather than ask ‘Will you marry me?’, Richard had apparently said: ‘How about it?’
‘It very romantic,’ she added.
What a rock! Sam Armytage returned to Sunrise on Tuesday, after getting engaged to farmer Richard Lavender over the weekend. The 43-year-old proudly showed off her diamond ring, estimated to be worth up to $80,000, before dodging a series of questions about the proposal
The 43-year-old also proudly showed off her diamond ring, estimated to be worth up to $80,000.
The notoriously private journalist wasn’t giving much away as Kochie continued to interrogate her throughout the program.
Bling! Samantha’s engagement ring features a modest-sized cushion cut diamond on a prong setting, with an elegant gold band
The Sunrise panel first acknowledged Sam’s engagement at 6am, when Kochie said: ‘Thanks for joining us on a very special morning because Sam is back – radiant, gushing, glowing – after a romantic weekend.’
He said the team was slowly ‘getting to know Rich a bit more’, before asking a visibly embarrassed Sam how the couple met and what Richard did for a living.
She humoured her co-anchor to begin with, telling him she’d met Richard at a party last year, but soon scolded Kochie for being so nosy.
‘You know what he does, why are you asking all these questions? We’ve known each other for ages!’ she said.
Kochie said his questions were for the benefit of viewers, and promised ‘more throughout the show’ as Sam cringed at the desk.
Despite the grilling, Sam confirmed she was ‘thrilled’ and ‘couldn’t be happier’ about her engagement.
Nosy! Sam’s co-host David ‘Kochie’ Koch (right) grilled her for details about the engagement and her ‘romantic weekend’ with Richard, 60, in the NSW Southern Highlands
Sam announced her engagement to Richard in an Instagram post on Sunday. She uploaded two photos of herself posing in the arms of her fiancé, with a diamond ring on her wedding finger.
‘What a year…’ she wrote in the caption.
The couple, who reportedly began dating in April 2019, confirmed their romance in an interview with WHO magazine November.
They had sparked engagement rumours in September, when they were spotted shopping for expensive jewellery in Sydney’s Double Bay.
So in love! The couple, who reportedly began dating in April 2019, confirmed their romance in an interview with WHO magazine November