“He’s a friend, and I’m the host.”

Samantha Armytage has gushed over The Golden Bachelor‘s Barry “Bear” Myrden after they were hit by romance rumours.

The TV host, 49, is hosting The Golden Bachelor, where Bear will be looking for a second chance at love, but the pair have already sparked speculation they are dating.

In August, the rumour mill was sent into overdrive when they stepped out at the Logie Awards together, just weeks before the Channel Nine show is set to premiere on October 20.

However, Sam then firmly shut down speculation that something was going on between them, insisting they are just friends.

Now, Sam has gushed over widower and father-of-three Bear and revealed why he stood out to her in the casting process for the reality dating show, describing him as a “good man”.

“He stood out to me from the start. He’s raised three boys, pretty much on his own; his wife died when the youngest was quite young,” she told Stellar in September.
Samantha Armytage has once again insisted that she is not involved with Barry “Bear” Myrden after they attended the 2025 Logie Awards together. (Credit: Getty)
“He’s been to rock bottom, he’s experienced one of the worst things anyone could go through in a marriage, so he’s got this enormous understanding of emotion, which is good for a man. He knows grief, which I think is quite valuable as an adult – to have been to some low places. It makes you a better person.”

Despite her kind words, recently single Sam made sure to once again clarify that she is not dating Bear herself.

“I promise you, I have not been dating the Golden Bachelor; I would never do that to the ladies,” she added.

Sam has been single since splitting from her husband Richard Lavender late last year, and there has been much interest in her dating life since.

Meanwhile, Bear’s wife, Audrey, sadly died in 2011 from brain cancer after a two-year battle with the disease. The couple shares three sons, Charlie, Jac,k and Declan.

It is not the first time Sam has poured cold water over the rumours that she is dating Bear, previously setting the record straight.

“Well, you can’t host the show and then steal the Golden Bachelor. Hello. That wouldn’t be much fun, would it?” Sam said on Nova’s The Chrissie Swan Show.

“He’s a friend, and I’m the host, and he’s the golden bach. And there are 20 wonderful ladies who were just so excited to meet him.”
Sam is hosting The Golden Bachelor, where 20 women will be fighting for Bear’s heart. (Credit: Channel Nine)
The 20 glamorous ladies vying for Bear’s attention on The Golden Bachelor were unveiled by Channel Nine on September 15 ahead of the show’s premiere on September 20.

Speaking to hosts Chrissie Swan and Jack Charles, Sam insisted none of the women came on the show for “fame” but all genuinely wanted to find love.

“This is not like any show I’ve done before or seen before, because they’ve really, they’re not just coming into this for Instagram fame,” she said.

“They really are looking for love, all of them, and they all have these wonderful stories to tell. They’ve lived a life. So they’ve got, you know, plenty of miles on their tyres, so they know what it’s about. They know what they’re looking for. They know what they won’t put up with.

“Some of them have had pretty horrible things happen in their lives. You know, they’re divorced or they’re widowed, and, of course, no one expects in their 50s and 60s, that’s where they’re going to be.

“So these women find themselves in these situations now, and they go, you know what? These boomers, they’re really powerful.”
Sam has been single since splitting from her husband Richard Lavender in December. (Credit: Instagram)
As well as being linked to Bear, Sam sparked romance rumours with another man at the start of September.

When she was pictured smiling alongside a male companion, fans hoped that Sam might have found love again.

However, New Idea exclusively learned that the man pictured with Sam was just a friend.

Sam has been single since splitting from her now ex-husband Richard late last year after four years of marriage.

“Yes, Richard and I have separated. All break-ups are hard, but it’s somewhat lessened by the fact that it’s amicable and we wish the best for each other,” Sam said in a statement at the time.