Back where she belongs! Samantha Armytage FINALLY returns to Sunrise after taking more than a month off work to fight a ‘respiratory infection’
It was back to business for Samantha Armytage on Monday morning.
The 43-year-old returned to Sunrise after taking six weeks off on extended leave to fight a ‘respiratory infection’ at her rural estate in Bowral, New South Wales.
During Samantha’s absence, newsreader Natalie Barr filled in for her alongside co-host David Koch, bringing Australians the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic.
She’s back! Samantha Armytage (left) returned to Sunrise on Monday alongside David Koch (right) after taking six weeks off on extended leave to fight a ‘respiratory infection’ at home. Pictured: Samantha and Kochie earlier this year
Samantha looked delighted to go live from Martin Place, Sydney at 6am with Kochie.
The pair practised social distancing on the panel, with Channel Seven going to extreme lengths to prevent the spread of coronavirus on-set of the show.
Samantha told fans in an Instagram post on Sunday that she’d be back on Sunrise on Monday morning, as she left her country estate and returned to the city.
‘Thank you all you lovely people for your (thousands of) lovely messages asking when I was coming back to work… I’m back tomorrow,’ wrote Samantha.
Back to work: ‘Thank you all you lovely people for your (thousands of) lovely messages asking when I was coming back to work… I’m back tomorrow,’ said Samantha on Sunday night
Filling in! During Samantha’s absence, newsreader Natalie Barr (pictured) filled in for her alongside co-host David Koch, bringing Australians the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic
Samantha’s last appearance on the show was on March 13, after taking time off due to an ongoing ‘respiratory illness’.
The seasoned journalist first took leave from the program on February 26, returning for a brief stint on March 3.
The beloved Sunrise star announced to her fans she would be taking more leave with a post on Instagram Stories on March 17.
‘Hi all… I’m taking a few weeks off work as I’ve had a respiratory infection (for three months) since the bushfires and it just won’t heal,’ she wrote at the time.
Coming back: The presenter had been ‘hoping to back on air soon’ for weeks as she focused on her health. Pictured with colleagues Sam Mac (centre) and David Koch (right)
‘I don’t have coronavirus, but I’m worried I’ll get it if I don’t get better. Thought it was a good time to lay low.’
Earlier this month she told Daily Mail Australia she ‘hoped to be back on air soon’.
In her column for Stellar Magazine, Samantha recently revealed she’d been using her time at home during the coronavirus pandemic to ‘ponder’.
Extended leave: Samantha’s last appearance on the show was on March 13, after taking time off due to an ongoing ‘respiratory illness’
‘Like everyone right now, my emotions range from anger to disbelief to awe,’ she wrote.
And she said she’s had plenty of time to ponder how the world landed itself in this situation to begin with.
‘I’ve pondered how to punish powerful, dishonest countries when they blatantly do the wrong thing. Who hands out the punishment? And speaking of who, will we ever trust the World Health Organization again?’ she added.
Doing some thinking: In her column for Stellar Magazine, Samantha recently revealed she’d been using her time at home during the coronavirus pandemic to ‘ponder’