Samantha Armytage has revealed a heartbreaking battle she kept private for years.
The 50-year-old opened up about her unsuccessful IVF journey on her new podcast, Act Two, in an episode released this week, speaking publicly about it for the first time.
Sam Armytage’s IVF journey
Sam said she tried to start a family while married to her ex-husband Richard Lavender, and admitted that letting go of that dream was incredibly hard.
She also pointed out that the stories we usually hear are the happy ones.
“Many high-profile women are happy to talk about IVF when the journey is successful,” she said. “But coming to terms with a failed IVF journey takes time. And there is a unique kind of grief in letting go of that specific future.”
The Golden Bachelor host married Richard in Bowral in December 2020, and they split in December 2024. But Sam was clear that their fertility struggles weren’t the reason the marriage ended.
“While that chapter didn’t close the way we initially wanted, and I add, it was not the reason for that marriage to end… it opened up a different beautiful path for me,” she said.
Her fertility journey also overlapped with her shock exit from Sunrise in 2021. At the time, Sam told viewers she wanted to slow down and spend time with her “precious family”.
Now, we know there was far more going on behind the scenes.
Sam said she’s found joy in the family she already has, and that being an aunt is one of the most important roles in her life.
“I am so incredibly grateful to the family I do have,” she said. “Being an aunt is one of the most important roles in my life, to my nieces and nephews and to all of my friends’ children, too.”
She also appeared to hold back tears as she spoke about her beloved dog, Banjo, who died in 2024.
“This may explain why I always refer to my darling Labrador, Banjo, as really being my baby, and why I felt his loss so deeply,” she said.
Sam Armytage on life after her marriage
Sam is now back in Sydney and enjoying life, while Richard has reportedly moved on with Sydney socialite Georgie Curran.
Sam also recently told the Daily Mail that her taste in men has changed since the split.
“I certainly think as a woman, as you get older, it dramatically changes what you’re looking for,” she said. “That actually gives you a lot more power and a lot more freedom. You make choices a lot faster.”
These days, her number one priority is finding someone who makes her feel calm.
“I now have a priority on meeting someone and connecting with someone who calms your nervous system. That’s very important to me now,” she said. “[Someone who] is kind and is caring and has their own life. Your wish list changes, and that’s good.”
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