What Sunrise host Samantha Armytage learnt in lockdown
As pandemic restrictions begin to lift, Sunrise breakfast TV host Samantha Armytage considers how doctors became superheroes and Ellen DeGeneres morphed into the “queen of mean”.
Stellar
Don't miss out on the headlines from Stellar. Followed categories will be added to My News.
When life hands you lemons, well, you Google lemon recipes. Because for the first time in your entire adult life, you’ve had some time up your sleeve. Time to cook a lemon and mushroom risotto for dinner. Even bake a citrus tart for dessert. Hell, slice a bit of that fruit and throw it into a G&T. It’s 3pm and you’ve been homeschooling all day. Why not?
Marie Kondo had nothing on that COVID fellow.
We’ve cleaned out all our drawers. We’ve sanded and painted and rearranged. We’ve realised it really doesn’t matter how many shoes or handbags you own. Oh, how we miss the airport. And queuing at the post office.
We’ve realised how much our parents really can cope with technology. My mother will leave this lockdown with a new-found addiction to Zoom, and is daily having “a 10am” with her old school friends and sisters.
We’ve realised how glad we are we accidentally used nearly all our frequent flyer points on frivolous pre-corona holidays to Hamilton Island.
And how much dogs really love dancing with you in the kitchen.
We’ve realised how much less smug marries post things such as “World’s best husband” when they actually have to spend 24/7 with them.
We’ve realised how annoying it is to see celebrities crying about isolation from their mansions/massage rooms/private gyms. That none of us has much patience for taxpayers bailing out billionaires’ businesses (bag it like Beckham, anyone?) and how many people actually think Ellen DeGeneres is mean.
We realised if we see a star who normally complains about privacy suddenly posting lots of intimate videos on Instagram, it usually means said actor has a movie coming out on Netflix. The more intimate the videos, the more sh*t said movie will be.
And to prove why James Blunt is one of my favourite celebs, he tweeted in late March: “During lockdown, while many artists are doing mini-concerts from their homes, I thought I’d do you all a favour and not.”
We’ve realised how many large companies were very badly run before COVID. We’ve realised how much we admire doctors and nurses. Ditto teachers. Oh, and beauticians. Waxing is best left to the experts. Enough said.
MORE STELLAR
Erin Molan sets the record straight on her relationship and work life
Melissa George: ‘You can ask the new me about Home And Away’
We’ve realised we are not all in this together. There are members of the population who think it’s OK to spit on police officers, who will hoard products, and that there are countries who are so, so, so much worse off than us.
We’ve realised the climate actually changes back when we all stop abusing it.
That footballers of all codes are not content with their own company and must constantly be surrounded by women, motorbikes and other people’s guns. Surprisingly, we’ve also learnt introverts are the ones taking care of extroverts.
We’ve realised how wonderful it is to stand in your own driveway at dawn, listening to the Last Post and watching the sun rise. Perhaps we’ve finally realised how important our freedom is.
We’ve remembered how versatile lycra is. How much we love Australian-made products, going to the beach, and standing 1.5 metres from each other on the green dots at Woolies.
But perhaps our greatest realisation of the past few months is how much we will never, ever, ever, ever take toilet paper for granted again.
Samantha co-hosts Sunrise, 5.30am weekdays, on the Seven Network.