The real reason behind Samantha Armytage‘s shock split with husband Richard Lavender has been revealed.

Daily Mail Australia revealed on Thursday night that the TV presenter, 48, and the equestrian businessman, 61, had gone their separate ways on the eve of their four-year wedding anniversary.

And sources told Daily Mail Australia that a contributing factor to the break-up was believed to be tension between Lavender’s adult children and Armytage.

Lavender has two children, Grace and Sasha, from his previous marriage to ex-wife Kate Lavender.

A source close to the businessman claimed that Armytage’s relationship with Lavender’s two adult daughters was a major reason for the split.

The unnamed source’s claims are seemingly backed up by the fact that Grace and Sasha no longer follow Armytage on Instagram.

However, the former couple still follow each other on the social media platform.

The real reason behind Samantha Armytage’s shock split with husband Richard Lavender has been revealed

Back in 2019, less than a year before Armytage and Lavender tied the knot, a source revealed to Woman’s Day that Lavender’s daughters got on well with the freshly-minted Channel Nine star.

‘[The girls] don’t mind Sam, but they don’t spend a lot of time with their father these days,’ the insider claimed.

The couple’s shock separation was planned to be leaked to a Sydney newspaper on Friday but sources confirmed the news to Daily Mail Australia in advance.

‘Yes Richard and I have separated. All breakups are hard, but it’s somewhat lessened by the fact it’s amicable and we wish the best for each other,’ Armytage told media late Thursday evening.

‘I appreciate you respecting our privacy. I won’t be making any further comment.’

It’s understood Armytage’s television presenter friends have been comforting the TV star behind the scenes for some time.

It’s understood she has moved out of Lavender’s Southern Highlands home and is now living in her apartment located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Armytage also pulled her home on the NSW south coast off the market only hours before her split from Lavender made headlines.

And according to News Corp , the reason behind the split was tension between Armytage and Lavender’s children. Richard Lavender is pictured with ex-wife Kate (l) and daughter Grace

The unnamed source’s claims are seemingly backed up by the fact that Grace and Sasha no longer follow Armytage on Instagram. Richard is pictured with daughter Sasha

The three-bedroom, two-bedroom beachfront property at Hyams Beach had been languishing unsold since last December.

The former Sunrise host and Lavender started dating in April 2019, and announced their engagement in June 2020 before tying the knot at his property in rural NSW six months later.

In a wedding photo, Armytage was seen holding hands with her new husband as they strolled across his Southern Highlands estate on New Year’s Eve, shortly after saying ‘I do’.

She captioned the heartwarming picture, which was taken after their wedding ceremony but before their reception, ‘11.58am on a Thursday. How lucky are we?’

The intimate ceremony only featured a small number of guests due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Richard’s daughters believed to have attended.

Armytage also posted a photo from later in the evening, which showed the couple cuddling alongside the words: ‘HNY from the Lav’s’.

Amid her marriage breakdown, Armytage has also undergone a huge career change after stepping down from Channel Seven after 21 years with the network.

The TV presenter, 48, and the equestrian businessman, 61, have gone their separate ways on the eve of their four-year wedding anniversary

‘Yes Richard and I have separated. All breakups are hard, but it’s somewhat lessened by the fact it’s amicable and we wish the best for each other,’ Armytage told media late Thursday evening

Describing the departure as ‘sad and bittersweet,’ she said she felt her time had come to an end.

‘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.’

She has instead moved to rival network Nine and been signed up as the host of brand new reality dating show The Golden Bachelor.

The Golden Bachelor is a spin-off of The Bachelor series, but differs in that the contestants of the reality dating show are singletons in their 50s and 60s.

In her new position at Nine, she will also become a ‘fill in’ presenter on Today while regular hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo go on leave over the summer.

Once the host of Seven’s rival breakfast show Sunrise, Armytage will be co-hosting with Weekend Today star Clint Stanaway.

The journalist will ‘wake up with Today’ for a week and a half, putting her eight years anchor experience at Sunrise from 2013 until 2021 to good use in the rival hot seat.