COVER
empowerment and my No. 1 thing to them is
don’t listen to social media, shut it down, block
the idiots, so I had to take a note out of my own
book on that one. But it’s good anyway for your
mental health to take a break, otherwise it can
get you down.
Do you feel more able to take things like this
in your stride now you’re in your 40s?
Oh my God, yeah. I am so much braver now
than I used to be. I was raised by country parents
who used to say, “You have got to rise above it if
somebody is being awful.” So I did rise above a
lot of things. And then I got to an age and stage
where I thought, “Hang on. You have got to fight
for yourself!” And I have. I have never had to act
like a man to do that. And I really pride myself on
retaining my authenticity and keeping my
femininity in a world that has been very
masculine and aggressive.
Have you ever questioned your decision to be
so visible and so public?
Occasionally, I will think: “Is it worth it?” I look
around the media and think, “Who else gets the
attention I get and is basically just a journo?”
It is a bit unusual. I have questioned the job and
my career choice. I never set out to do this job.
It all kind of happened, and it’s been a great ride.
It’s an incredible job. I am not going anywhere
right now, but I don’t want to do it forever. The
hours are a grind and the attention is still, some
days, difficult.
Do you think part of the intrigue is because
people can see themselves in you?
I am not sure what the intrigue is. My girlfriends
from school who have known me since I was 13
say, “Sam, we can’t work it out. You’re not that
interesting.” And I am like, “I know! I’m not!”
Maybe it’s because I am an average girl. What
you see is what you get. Maybe that
connects with people.
In her downtime,
Armytage
exercises her
Labrador: “Banjo
has become
the best little
poser. He is now
used to being
followed down
the road and
photographed
while trying to
do a poo.”“Eddy and I get on
very well—we always
have,” Armytage says of
Edwina Bartholomew.
“I have supported her
a lot, as has she to me.”“I used to hate doing photo
shoots because I was so bad
at it,” Armytage admits. “I’m
still not great at it, but I sort
of relax into shoots now,
because it’s just dress-ups.”Who l 21