Sunrise presenter Samantha Armytage has received a public apology from Daily Mail Australia after she threatened the publication with a defamation lawsuit over their so-called ‘undie-gate’ story.
On Sunday, the website ran paparazzi photos of the 40-year-old TV presenter running errands in Sydney, headlining the piece, “Sam Armytage’s giant granny panties show a visible line.”
On Tuesday morning, they bowed to pressure and amended the article by removing all written references to Armytage’s underwear — but kept the controversial photographs.
The headline was changed to: "Casual Sunday! Sunrise host Samantha Armytage goes solo as she heads out on a shopping trip after slamming rumours about her dating life."
An apology was also added to the end of the article.
However, in the letter addressed to the The Daily Mail, lawyers for Armytage argue interest in her love life has surpassed natural curiosity, as it appears the website "now seems determined to humiliate and shame her in the most base and personal way.”
Additionally, the letter acknowledges the deep-seated rivalry between Nine's Today Show and Seven's Sunrise, hinting that they recognise a former employee of Today is now working for the Daily Mail.
“It has not escaped our client’s attention that the Daily Mail’s social media manager was formerly employed as a producer on the Nine Network’s Today Show which is a major competitor of Seven’s Sunrise," the letter reads.
Top Comments
They only apologised because of threat of law suit. They didn't apologise when the story caused an uproar from not just Sam but other women in the media and then the general public. So it's hardly an apology. They should never have run the story in the first place - but they did because at the end of the day we're all talking about it and how angry we are etc etc.
Good on her for standing up for herself. A few more letters like this from celebs to the other rags might force them to clean up their act a bit!