Beloved Australian media personality Samantha Armytage has announced her decision to step away from her role as co-host for Sunrise.
“The time has come for the sun to set on my time at Sunrise,” she said on Monday morning’s show.
“I have always been very brave and fearless in my life and my career and this decision is no different.”
She said that the decision was a personal one due to intense events in 2020.
“As many of you know, the last six months of my personal life have been very bitter-sweet, some bits have been very happy, and some bits have been very, very sad,” she said.
“And I want to step out of this public world for a while and take some time and calm things down, enjoy a bit of slow living and spend some time with my precious family, my husband and Banjo.
“I go out of this job at a time of my own choosing and on top of the ratings, which not many people on television can say they do.
“My mother used to say to me, ‘edit your life frequently and ruthlessly, it’s your masterpiece after all’,” Armytage added.
“And that’s precisely what I’m doing.
“This is a chapter, it’s not the whole story, and I have a few days left to say goodbye to you all, for now.”
Co-host David Koch said that her humour was inspiring.
“Sam’s humour, work ethic and team first values have been an inspiration to us all. But now it’s time for Sam to put herself and Rich first and we couldn’t be happier for, or more supportive of, them both,” he said in a statement.
Seven West Media seems to support the decision, with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer James Warburton saying it was sad to see her go.
“Sam has been an important part of the Seven team for almost two decades, including eight fantastic years as co-host of Australia’s Number 1 breakfast show,” he said on Monday.
“We will be sad to see her leave Sunrise, but completely understand and support her decision to step back for a while and focus on her family.
“We wish Sam nothing but the very best for her break and look forward to announcing some exciting new projects for her in late 2021 and into 2022.”
Photo credits: 7NEWS
This article originally appeared on Over60.