Following a gruelling treatment regimen for breast cancer, The McClymonts singer returns to Getaway.

Earlier this year, Samantha McClymont grabbed her passport and packed her suitcase, just as she’d done countless times before.

A presenter on Channel Nine’s Getaway, Sam, 39, has also gotten to travel the world thanks to the success of The McClymonts, the country music trio she formed with her older sister, Brooke, and younger sister, Mollie.

“But I really took a beat while preparing for this Getaway trip,” Sam tells New Idea after our recent photo shoot in Sydney.

“I was getting ready for my first trip in 18 months, to Italy, after being diagnosed with breast cancer. It felt very special to be back on set and very emotional to finally be back, doing what I love.”
Sam is back on Getaway, after spending most of 2024 getting treatment. (Credit: New Idea/Phillip Castleton)
To say that Sam has been through the wringer since her February 2024 diagnosis would be an understatement.

The mum of two (her sons Wilder and Ari, with husband Ben Poxon, are just eight and six) has endured five months of chemotherapy, 15 rounds of radiation treatments and undergone three surgeries, including a double mastectomy and reconstruction.

Sam first discovered a lump in her right breast in September 2023. It then took five months for her to be correctly diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. It’s the most aggressive form of the disease and typically affects just 10 to 15 per cent of patients.

The McClymonts rally

“Genetic testing showed that I carry the BRCA2 gene, which meant there was always a 70 per cent chance of me getting breast and/or ovarian cancer at some stage,” Sam says.

Her sister Mollie, 38, also discovered that she carried the gene and elected to undergo a preventative double mastectomy earlier this year.

“If one small good thing can come out of this, it’s that Mollie could take action prior to potentially getting cancer,” Sam says.

During her treatment, Sam felt incredibly sick and fatigued for much of 2024.

“That process was really rough, but the hardest thing by far was not being able to do ordinary things with my boys,” she explains.

“It was very confronting because I became a completely different person to them, and I couldn’t do any of the things I used to do for them. I couldn’t imagine what was going through their little heads because they were so young.”
Sam’s sisters, Mollie, who also has the BRCA2 gene, and Brooke, have been so supportive. (Credit: Supplied)

Getting the all-clear

Thankfully, this January, after much of her gruelling treatment regimen had concluded, doctors assured Sam that she was now cancer-free. Shortly afterwards, a Getaway producer asked Sam if she was up to returning
to work and offered her the Italian trip, which was filmed in April.

“It was so lovely to be asked,” Sam explains.

But before she agreed, Sam readily admits she had some reservations.

“I know it might seem silly, but my hair had only just started growing back after chemo and I looked totally different to the last time I’d been on TV,” she says. “I discussed this with the Getaway team, and even at one point said, ‘Do I need to wear my wig?’

“They were like ‘, whatever you want to do and whatever makes you feel comfortable is totally fine by us.’ Getaway couldn’t have been more supportive. I always say that everyone who works on the show is like family – and they have supported me like family too.”
Sam has learnt to love her shorter, darker hair. (Credit: New Idea/Phillip Castleton)

Back to ‘normal’ life

Because of the busy schedule on location, Sam elected not to wear her “fantastic” wig but instead allowed her best friend, hairdresser Joelene, to cut and colour her hair ahead of filming.

“It was the first time I’d had my hair done after it had grown back, and she made me feel fantastic,” Sam says. “After that trip to the salon, I finally felt like myself again – even if I had gone from having long blonde hair to a dark pixie cut.”

Now that life is somewhat returning to normal, Sam says it’s the small things she most cherishes.

“I really love being able to do everyday mum stuff for the boys,” she reveals.

“We love to dance in the kitchen! I’m just so glad that they’re finally getting their ‘fun’ mum back again.”
Sam says it was tough leaving her boys to film her first Getaway assignment (on right) post-cancer. (Credit: Supplied)
A family holiday with the boys and Ben is definitely on the agenda too. Sam is also doing a fun run this month to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Network Australia.

“I don’t want to make ‘cancer’ my whole personality going forward,” she says. “But now that I’m finally feeling well again, it’s important to me that I give back too.”