Samantha Armytage shocked fans when she decided to quit Seven and leave Farmer Wants A Wife last week, and now details have emerged of the new contract she turned down.
The former Sunrise star, 47, appeared as a guest host on matchmaking reality series FWAW in 2022 before she pushed out Natalie Gruzlewski to become the face in 2023.
A source has now alleged that Sam threw in the towel after two seasons as the host because Seven wanted to cut her massive salary, reported Woman’s Day on Monday.
‘Sam wanted similar money to what Natalie Barr and Sonia Kruger are on,’ the insider told the publication.
‘Sam was still on breakfast TV money from an old contract and that’s just not what you get paid to host one reality show these days.
‘She was asking for what Sonia gets paid for three shows. It wasn’t going to happen. Seven just didn’t have the money.’
They went on to say that Seven also refused to allow Sam more ‘creative control’ on the reality TV series, which also soured the media personality.
Now, after 21 years at Seven which saw her salary get up to a reported $500,000 per year, Sam’s agents are said to be setting up meetings with Nine and Ten.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Seven and Samantha Armytage for comment.
Despite losing her massive TV paycheck, Sam is the proud owner of several luxury properties across Australia, to the collective value of $10million.
She purch ased her most recent property in May, a stunning three-bedroom, two-bathroom renovation project located in Moss Vale, Southern Highlands.
Sam paid $1.3m for the breathtaking property, which is located 130km from Sydney, which features spacious rooms and stunning nature views.
The blonde beauty also purchased a stylish investment property for $1.575 in 2021 in the trendy Sydney suburb of Rushcutters Bay.
It is an exquisitely designed two-bedroom waterfront property located in an exclusive inner city apartment complex.
Sam also owns an additional two properties, one is a holiday rental in Hyams which she bought for $3.2m and leases out to holidayers for about $1200 a night.
Meanwhile, Sam has also made a nice profit from selling part of her property portfolio, after she sold her exquisite North Bondi home in July 2020 for $3.15m.
The veteran presenter purchased the house in 2014 for $2.15m, meaning she made a significant profit once the sale was finalised.
All up, Sam’s stunning property portfolio is believed to be worth over $10m, which could give her something to fall back on after she leaves Channel Seven.
Samantha announced her departure from the network last week when she declined a new deal with Seven after her current contract expires in October.
Describing the departure as ‘sad and bittersweet,’ she told The Daily Telegraph that she felt her time had come and that she was excited about her future.
‘I’m big on instinct. I listen to my instinct. I know when the time comes. I am proud of the fact that I back myself enough to say: “I’ve done what I can do here” and I move on,’ she said.
‘This is not the end. It’s just the end of this chapter.’
Samantha will still appear at the upcoming Logies, with her show Farmer Wants A Wife nominated for Best Structured Reality Program, but she will not return to host the show’s next series, which is currently in pre-production.