Former Farmer Wants A Wife co-host Samantha Armytage has split with her husband Richard Lavender.
The former Sunrise co-host was married to Richard Lavender, an equestrian businessman, for almost four years and the pair lived together on Lavender’s 40-hectare property in the NSW Southern Highlands.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the pair separated several months ago and that Armytage has since returned to Sydney.
Is Samantha Armytage married?
In December 2024, Armytage revealed she had separated from her husband Richard Lavender.
“Yes, Richard and I have separated. All breakups are hard, but it’s somewhat lessened by the fact it’s amicable and we wish the best for each other,” Armytage told The Daily Telegraph.
“I appreciate you respecting our privacy. I won’t be making any further comment.”
How did Samantha Armytage and Richard Lavender meet?
After meeting in April 2019, the pair married in an intimate New Year’s Eve ceremony in 2020.
Armytage previously revealed that she felt incredibly ”lucky” to have found Lavender a little later in life.
”I found the love of my life at 42. How lucky am I?” she once said, calling her husband a ”divine and decent man”.
“And I realised you do not find the happy life, you make it,” she added.
Armytage revealed that when she first met Lavender – at socialite Skye Leckie’s 60th birthday party – he had absolutely no idea who she was.
”There was an immediate connection,” Armytage previously told WHO, with Lavender adding: ”She had a sparkle in her eye. She has a quick wit and a terrific sense of humour.”
Armytage explained how Lavender’s marriage proposal went down recalling the ”low-key” moment he asked for her hand.
“We just had a little bonfire on the weekend in the paddock, it was all very low-key. Like Rich and I, very low-key,” she told her Sunrise colleagues after the event.
”We’d been picking weeds in the paddock and he said, ‘Darling, do you want to marry me?’
“It was very sweet, very romantic. He’s just a very charming, lovely fellow.”
The pair were married in secret on New Year’s Eve in 2020 after their original plans for a big wedding were thwarted by COVID.
“Three days before, we decided we’d do it for New Year’s Eve,” Armytage said.
”We did it, we got it done, it was a little bit stressful for me but Rich was very relaxed.”
Armytage said it was her father who encouraged them to get married before the end of 2020, despite not being able to have a big guest list.
“It was Dad, we were all sitting around, at Christmas time as you do, having a few drinks and Dad said because of COVID and everyone’s in lockdown …Dad said ‘just do it!’”
Does Samantha Armytage have any children?
Samantha Armytage does not have children.
Richard Lavender has two adult daughters, Grace and Sasha, from a previous relationship.
Will Samantha Armytage be on Farmer Wants a Wife next year?
Armytage recently announced that she was stepping away from Seven after 21 years with the network and would not be returning for next year’s Farmer Wants A Wife.
”21 is a coming-of-age,” she wrote on Instagram.
”And so, after that many years, I am departing Channel 7 with lots of happy memories, a full heart & huge thanks to the many fantastic colleagues along the journey.
“There’s too many highlights to list ~ I have hosted almost every show in the network (from Sunrise dawn to Farmer’s dusk) ~ & covered many of the important news stories of the past 2 decades.
“I started at 7 as a fresh-faced 26yo journo & will leave as a … ahem … more matured -faced woman – who’s worked hard, had THE most incredible experiences & also a lot of fun.”
The 2025 season of Farmer Wants A Wife will be hosted by Natalie Gruzlewski, who helmed the show before Armytage joined the cast in 2022. Armytage later announced she would be hosting The Golden Bachelor in 2025 on Nine.
