Samantha Armytage has broken her silence on her shock split with her equestrian businessman ex Richard Lavender.

The Channel Nine presenter, 49, told this week’s Stellar magazine that she and Richard had tried their best to make their marriage work, before they split in December.

‘What I’ll say for my marriage is we gave it a go. It didn’t work out, so we moved on. Last year was a big year. There was a lot of change and a lot of grief,’ Samantha began.

The Golden Bachelor host added it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision and both she and Richard were confident in their choice to part ways.

‘I don’t think anybody leaves a marriage without thinking it through quite deeply. You don’t just decide one day and leave the next,’ she said.

‘We’ve all got these thoughts and fears and happy moments we share.’

Samantha Armytage (pictured) has broken her silence on her shock split with her equestrian businessman ex Richard Lavender

In December, the former couple announced their separation on the eve of their four-year wedding anniversary.

They had tied the knot at Richard’s 40-hectare property in the picturesque Southern Highlands in NSW on New Year’s Eve in 2020.

‘Yes Richard and I have separated. All break-ups are hard, but it’s somewhat lessened by the fact it’s amicable and we wish the best for each other,’ Sam told media at the time.

‘I appreciate you respecting our privacy. I won’t be making any further comment.’

Samantha is no longer followed on Instagram by the 62-year-old equestrian businessman’s two daughters, Sascha and Grace, although the former couple still follow each other.

It’s understood she moved out of Richard’s Southern Highlands home and is now living in her apartment located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The former Sunrise host and Richard started dating in April 2019, and announced their engagement in June 2020 before tying the knot at his property in rural NSW six months later.

In a beautiful moment captured by photographer Abbie Melle, Sam was seen holding hands with her new husband as they strolled across his Southern Highlands estate, shortly after saying ‘I do’.

She said it was not a spur of the moment decision and both she and Richard were confident in their decision to part ways

‘What I’ll say for my marriage is we gave it a go. It didn’t work out, so we moved on. Last year was a big year. There was a lot of change and a lot of grief,’ Samantha said

She captioned the heartwarming picture, which was taken after their wedding ceremony but before their reception, ‘11.58am on a Thursday. How lucky are we?’

The intimate ceremony only featured a small number of guests due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Richard’s daughters believed to have attended.

The television veteran became the face of Farmer Wants A Wife in 2023 after first appearing as a guest host alongside former presenter Natalie Gruzlewski.

In August 2024, she shocked fans by announcing she was quitting Channel Seven after 21 years.

Describing the departure as ‘sad and bittersweet’, she said she felt her time had come to an end.

It’s been a tough few years for Sam, who recently signed on as host of Nine’s upcoming reality TV dating show The Golden Bachelor.

The series is a spin-off of The Bachelor series, but differs in that the contestants of the reality dating show are people in their 50s and 60s.

In February 2024, she lost her beloved dog Banjo while staying with her father near Wagga Wagga.

She shared pictures of herself posing with the six-year-old Labrador Retriever as she looked back on her precious memories with him.