Samantha Armytage explains surprising white hair look

Fans were stunned when Samantha Armytage surfaced on social media looking very different this weekend - but she says all is not what it seems.

Months after sensationally leaving Sunrise earlier this year, Samantha Armytage appeared to debut a surprising new look on Instagram this weekend.

The 44-year-old, who officially left the breakfast show in March after eight years at the helm, shared a photo of herself lounging on the couch and watching television with her beloved dog Banjo - and sporting hair that appeared to be a natural shade of white, instead of the bottle blonde tresses she used to sport:

Sam Armtyage’s new look had fans confused.

However, as fans and media outlets remarked on the new look, Armytage posted another update to Instagram - showing that in fact, her hair is still blonde:

"Yeah, nah... still blonde." That's settled, then!

Still, she is enjoying a new, low-key life without early morning visits to hair and make-up.

“I barely brush my hair and put a bit of lipstick on these days, and it is lovely,” she candidly admitted to The Daily Telegraph in April of her new life out of the spotlight.

“It is absolutely bliss to not have to worry about hair and makeup for this part of my career.”

RELATED: Barr admits she wasn’t close to Armytage

Sam Armytage debuted what appears to be white hair on Instagram.

She debuted more natural-looking roots back in April. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

While it was widely reported that she left Sunrise to settle down with her husband Richard Lavender, 60, whom she married in the Southern Highlands in December, Armytage revealed on her new podcast in collaboration with Stellar, Something To Talk About with Samantha Armytage, that married life actually had nothing to do with her decision.

Armytage told her guest, Kyle Sandilands, that she had had enough of being “analysed” and “belted to death” by the media during her stint on-air.

“There were many, many reasons,” she began.

“But one of the reasons was that I thought the fun wasn’t there anymore because anything I said - and I was the lightning rod for the show at that point - anything I said was analysed and I was getting beaten to death by the bloody Daily Mail.

“You just think, ‘Is life worth this?’”

RELATED: Sam shares cheeky snap from wedding day

Armytage with her husband, Richard Lavender, during her last episode of Sunrise. Picture: Supplied

Announcing her decision to leave live on-air back in March, a teary Armytage said: “The time has come for the sun to set on my time at Sunrise. I have always been very brave and fearless in my life and my career and this decision is no different.

“As many of you know, my personal life the last six months has been very bittersweet. Some bits have been very happy and some bits have been very, very sad and I want to step out of this public world for a while, take some time and calm things down, enjoy a bit of slow living and spend some time with my precious family and husband and Banjo.”

Channel 7 said in a statement at the time that Armytage would remain with the network and return with new projects.

“We wish Sam nothing but the very best for her break and look forward to announcing some exciting new projects for her in late 2021 and into 2022,” Seven West Media managing director and chief operating officer James Warburton said.

Armytage was replaced by Sunrise newsreader, Natalie Barr.