Samantha Armytage, 41, knows that better than most. In her five years co-hosting Channel Seven’s flagship breakfast show, she has become one of Australia’s most talked about people.
From what she says on-air to what she looks like in her time off, seemingly no topic is off-limits.
While Armytage is first to acknowledge that being in the public eye comes at a price, she’s not about to put up with it, especially when what is written about her isn’t always true.
“I have had years of false reports around me,” she tells WHO. “And I am fed up with them. Now I take them on.”
In our candid interview, Armytage discusses the stories that frustrate her, how she deals with life in the spotlight, her attitude to dieting and exercise, and the status of her love life.
How hard is it to cope with false items in the media? One that continues to rear its head is that you and your Sunrise colleague Edwina Bartholomew don’t get along ...
When you are in the spotlight, people are going to make things up about you. It does surprise me in this era, where women are getting it together and supporting each other, that still, gossip writers want to pit women against each other. They don’t do
it to men. I know men in this industry who have appalling falling-outs with other men over professional jealousies. Yet they continually make stuff up about the women. Most of us women get along really well.
What about when it’s the public themselves being vicious? How do you contend with internet trolls and the like?
How I get through it is I turn my social media off and I ignore it. I talk to a lot of young girls at schools about empowerment and my No. 1 thing to them is don’t listen to social media, shut it down, block the idiots, so I had to take a note out of my own book on that one. But it’s good anyway for your mental health to take a break, otherwise it can get you down.
You look fantastic in our photo shoot. Are you in the best shape of your life?
I have probably been in better shape, to be honest. Like a lot of other women, my weight goes up and down depending on my tiredness level. In April, we spent two weeks in a hotel on the Gold Coast doing the Commonwealth Games. Anyone who travels for work will tell you living out of a hotel is not conducive to weight loss. There are times where I think, “I could just sleep for a month and eat salads,” and it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea at the moment. But I know how to hide it.
Do you ever consider having a child or starting a family?
No, it’s not something I think about.
What about romance—are you seeing anyone?
If I was, you would be the first to know. I really don’t talk about that stuff, but I am fine and life is good. There are good things happening ... I don’t talk about anyone before I’m 100 per cent sure, because you have got to keep some things private. I give a lot of myself for four hours a day, so there has to be some stuff you keep private.
For more on Sam Armytage, pick-up a copy of WHO on-sale now!
Queer Eye is back for a second season and on this week’s Binge List, we tell you what to expect this time around. Plus, we debate the merits of rom-com Youngerand Todd Sampson’s Body Hack 2.0. We also ask To Binge Or Not To Binge spy drama Condor and crime procedural Instinct. Spoiler alert: we hate one of them. And this week’s Hidden Gem is dark comedy Barry. Listen below, or on iTunes: http://po.st/syE3JF or OMNY: http://po.st/Wud3d