It’s been a roller coaster month for Samantha Armytage.
In the space of a few weeks, she announced her shock estranged marriage to husband Richard Lavender and then jumped straight into the presenter’s chair on the Nine’s Today show.
And she’s also taking some steps into real estate: the 48-year-old TV personality is putting the finishing touches on her cozy new country home in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.
The simple three-bedroom house is just a 12-minute drive from their former marital home, Lavender Equestrian, a sprawling estate in nearby Berrima.
Despite being a stone’s throw from their old place, the two The properties could hardly be less similar.
Richard’s farm, with its modern hotel-like layout and no neighbors for miles around, could almost pass for a Bond villain’s hideaway.
From a breakup to moving from one television network to another, Samantha Armytage has had her fair share of ups and downs this year. Pictured with her ex-husband Richard Lavender in 2023
Sam’s new cabin (below left) is a quaint house on a quiet street surrounded by a few neighboring properties.
In a moment of coming full circle now that she’s single, Sam appears to be abandoning the quiet life she once longed for with Richard, opting to move to a more close-knit neighborhood in Moss Vale.
By contrast, Sam’s recently purchased single-level property is separated only by hedges from nearby cottages nestled together in an intimate, tree-lined section of close-knit Moss Vale.
While she will be downsized significantly and lose the sense of privacy that Richard’s house provides, perhaps what a social butterfly like Sam is looking for after her separation is more of a sense of neighborhood.
Sam snapped up the quaint ’60s home in May for $1.3 millionand has since installed a new roof and added a deck during extensive renovations.
The cottage, a short distance from the city’s historic Argyle Street shopping area and set on a spacious 1922 square meter block, received a modern renovation during the work, which continued from August until this month.
Highlights of the home include a spacious living room with a fireplace and picture windows that open to a patio, perfect for entertaining.
There is also an open-plan kitchen and dining room, as well as a barbecue area and a pond.
Aerial photographs of the works in progress show a new wooden terrace that opens to a backyard yet to be landscaped. The cabin looks set to be the perfect downsized base for newly single Sam once renovations are complete.
Richard’s luxurious 40-hectare property, on the other hand, has box-shaped walls and a flat roof, while the ultra-modern complex features a lap pool and plenty of parking.
Sam’s new place is a long way from Richard’s 40 hectare Southern Highlands estate (pictured)
The equestrian estate is crisscrossed by streams and surrounded by open fields of lush green grass, with ancient trees surrounding the property.
It is the same house where Sam and Richard held their intimate wedding ceremony on New Year’s Eve 2020, which was followed by lunch at the Centennial Vineyards restaurant in Bowral.
But just four years later, all that would come to an end, with Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealing earlier this month that the TV presenter and her businessman husband had gone their separate ways.
However, we are yet to see the tears from Sam, who appeared to put the divide behind him by making his debut on Nine’s Today show this week, putting his TV career back in full swing following his exit from the Channel’s Farmer Wants to Wife Seven.
Sam’s new property, which he purchased earlier this year for $1.3 million, is currently undergoing renovations and a new roof has since been completed.
In terms of landscaping, photographs from May of this year showed that the backyard still had a long way to go, with grass yet to be laid and an incomplete veranda.
Sam’s TV career is also back in full swing after leaving Channel Seven for Nine.
She’s already undergone a major makeover as she adjusts to her new single life, as she’s made a series of very glamorous appearances in recent weeks.
The presenter was last photographed with Richard on September 5, looking relaxed as they strolled through Sydney Airport.
Returning from a trip to Noosa to celebrate her 48th birthday, Sam showed off her unique style in beige trousers and a cream blouse, which she accessorised with a wide-brimmed straw hat.
However, that was to be the last time they were photographed together publicly before their marriage fell apart, and Sam was seen alone ever since.
At the 2024 Melbourne Cup, the new Nine host showed she was embracing her newfound independence as she went all out in a glamorous outfit for a day at Flemington Racecourse.
Sam attended the festivities without Richard, who also works in the equestrian business, and instead socialized with a host of Australian stars.
For the fun-filled day of November 5, Sam put on a very stylish display in a gorgeous red off-the-shoulder dress with dramatic puff sleeves.
Following tradition, the veteran host placed a red-dyed headpiece in her golden hair to complete her dazzling ensemble.
Sam has already undergone a major makeover as she adjusts to her new single life, as she has made a series of very glamorous appearances in recent weeks. Pictured at Derby Day 2024
At the 2024 Melbourne Cup, Samantha showed she was embracing her new single life as she went all out in a glamorous outfit for a day at Flemington Racecourse.
Still wearing her wedding ring, Sam fully embraced the race day dress code as she posed for the cameras, standing tall as she stepped out alone at the glitzy event.
She has been a regular on the racing circuit this year and had also stepped out in style a few days earlier at Flemington Racecourse for Derby Day.
The former Sunrise presenter showed off her fashion credentials in a stunning black midi dress with sparkly buttons and white collar details.
She completed her fashionable ensemble with a pair of pointy heels and carried her essentials in a sleek white bag.
Just a few weeks earlier in October, Sam had begun teasing her makeover while walking at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
Sam and Richard began dating in April 2019 and announced their engagement in June 2020 before tying the knot at their property in rural New South Wales six months later.
Samantha and Richard’s split was planned to be leaked to a Sydney newspaper, but sources confirmed the news to Daily Mail Australia in advance.
‘Yes, Richard and I have separated. “All breakups are difficult, but it’s alleviated a little by the fact that they are amicable and we wish each other the best,” Sam told the media.
‘I appreciate you respecting our privacy. “I will not comment further.”
It is understood she has moved out of Richard’s home in the Southern Highlands and now lives in an apartment in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The couple began dating in April 2019 and announced their engagement in June 2020 before tying the knot six months later.
The intimate ceremony only had a small number of guests due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Richard’s daughters are believed to have attended.
Amid the breakdown of his marriage, Sam also underwent a big career change after leaving Channel Seven after 21 years at the network.
Describing his departure as “sad and bittersweet”, he said he felt his time had come to an end.
‘I have great instincts. I listen to my instinct. I know when the time comes. “I’m proud that I backed myself enough to say, ‘I’ve done what I can do here,’ and I’m moving forward,” she said.
‘This is not the end. It’s just the end of this chapter.
Since signing with Nine, she has appeared as a fill-in presenter on Today and will also host new senior dating show The Golden Bachelor next year.