Samantha Armytage is never one to shy away from a battle, but when she heard from her manager of seven months that he was cutting ties, the popular Sunrise anchor was reportedly reeling after being spectacularly “dumped” from the Fordham Company’s stable of stars.
“Sam is furious – she’s asking herself how Nick [Fordham], a long-time friend and colleague, could scrap her like that,” an industry insider tells Woman’s Day.
“Out of the blue Nick dumped me from his management company the day after my mother died,” Sam told The Daily Telegraph.
“As you can imagine, this has been a harrowing time for me. This hasn’t made it any easier.”
The TV star’s mother Elizabeth “Libby” Armytage sadly died on November 3 after a battle with an autoimmune disease.
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“Nick didn’t know she’d passed away,” says our TV insider. “There’s no win here, especially for Sam, who is left without anyone managing her career at a time when the Australian media industry has never been so volatile.”
Nick, who is the chief executive of the Fordham Company and the younger brother of TV and radio star Ben Fordham, said of the incident, “We have ended our business relationship but Sam has been a friend for many years and I have an incredible amount of respect for her.”
The Fordham Company first signed up Sam, 44, in April, when she was snapped delivering reams of paperwork to his Sydney office, where Nick represents clients including Sylvia Jeffreys and Lisa Wilkinson.
The TV star’s mother Elizabeth “Libby” Armytage (left) sadly died this month
(Instagram)“Sam put a lot of faith in Nick – a master negotiator – given the big bucks he secured for Lisa when she bailed from the Today Show to Ten,” a trusted Fordham source confirms.
“The problem is when Nick negotiated those lucrative contracts for his clients, including Lisa, the media industry was in good shape. It’s in all sorts of strife these days, particularly TV, so megabuck contracts are less realistic. That’s the grim truth.”
With rumours swirling that Sam’s expectations didn’t always match with Nick’s, a former Seven colleague reveals that in the end, it was good old-fashioned competition that may have led to the split.
“Sam ideally wants similar opportunities to Lisa. She has high expectations, but everyone’s taking big pay cuts – Nick was in a lose-lose situation and in the end, he would prefer to maintain the friendship,” says the industry source.
Sam is said to be considering quitting Sunrise
(Instagram)In April, Sam praised Nick as a “very good operator”, adding there would be “good times ahead” – but in the end Nick, who is renowned for hating to lose more than he loves winning, decided to sever ties.
“Nick knows Sam’s history with former managers, after she famously walked away from Karl Stefanovic’s long-time manager Sharon Finnigan in 2015.
“Sam’s life has changed so much this past year and her focus now is on family and getting married. Her fiance Richard Lavender is oldschool and he
would believe if Sam takes a pay cut, she shouldn’t have to fork out commissions.
“She could even leave TV – there have been rumours of tension with her co-host David Koch for some time – and settle into a simpler life in the Southern Highlands. She could open a homewares store – she’s incredibly creative.
“She wants to be a part of the local community and try and forget she was dumped by one of the country’s leading celebrity agents.”
