Sally Bowrey Made Me Leave the TV Studio in Tears: Goff

They say the best revenge is to live well.

I’d argue that having a column—and a long-standing score to settle—comes a close second. Especially when that score involves a familiar television personality who, in my experience, treated me terribly yet continues to enjoy a spotless public reputation.

You may be thinking: ‘Here’s Amanda taking another swipe at a celebrity. How can she accuse anyone else of being unkind?’

It’s true that I write about people, and my opinions are not always flattering. I know I’ve offended some people over the years, and I’ll probably offend more. That is one of the risks of being paid to express an opinion.

But having a strong view is not permission to twist the knife. There is a significant difference between mocking the foolish behaviour of powerful people and deliberately making another person feel insignificant.

That brings me to Sally Bowrey, the seemingly immaculate Weekend Sunrise news presenter, whose treatment of me remains lodged in my memory all these years later.

You might be wondering why I’ve chosen to revisit it now.

As I write, The Australian’s Steve Jackson reports that former Today show presenter Sarah Abo—who is widely regarded as genuinely lovely—is being pursued by Seven’s Melbourne news bulletin. The report prompted me to put my thoughts on paper before she joins a network where my own experience was considerably less pleasant than its public image might suggest.

It has taken me nearly ten years to write this. I have settled scores before, including with Abbie Chatfield, and there are others who may eventually have their turn. Sam Armytage is one of them. Sadly, my editors and the Mail’s lawyers would collectively panic if I printed what I think.

But back to Bowrey. Before my encounter with her, I had crossed paths with another Sally: Sally Obermeder, who may be remembered as one of the hosts of The Daily Edition. Bowrey would occasionally step in for her.

Before I became Samantha X, I sometimes worked as a freelance producer on Seven’s flagship current affairs program, Today Tonight. Obermeder was preparing to take maternity leave, and I was brought in as a potential replacement. It was an enormous opportunity, entirely new to me, and I was thrilled. It felt like a dream job.

Not long after I arrived, however, I began to feel that Obermeder did not like me. While writing this column, I was reminded of that feeling when I discovered she had blocked me on Instagram, perhaps years ago. Bowrey has also blocked me.

During my short stint at Today Tonight, I increasingly felt unwelcome and watched my confidence disappear. Eventually, I broke down in tears while explaining my feelings to a female manager. The role I had been so excited about ultimately went nowhere. No one likes a squeaky wheel.

That is not to say everyone at Seven was difficult. Chris Bath, Nat Barr, the chief of staff and several other producers were warm, genuine and refreshingly authentic.

And I am hardly fragile. I have worked in some of London’s toughest newsrooms, dealt with shouting editors and ruthless journalists, and encountered more than my share of challenging personalities. Piers Morgan was one of my earliest bosses.

Yet at Seven, for the first time in my career, I began questioning my own value. Even now, I sometimes wonder whether I said or did something wrong.

Obermeder and the others may remember those events differently, and I’m sure she has her own reasons for blocking me. I can only describe how the experience felt from where I stood.

Fast forward a year or so and a lot had changed. I farewelled 9-to-5 journalism and became Samantha X. Around the same time, Seven launched a new daytime show, The Daily Edition, with Obermeder as one of its presenters.

And boy, did I have a great story: glossy magazine writer becomes high-class escort. Instead of putting the news together, I became a walking headline.

Seven’s Sunday Night ran the exclusive on me and promoted my memoir, Hooked.

I became media fodder. For months, producers from The Daily Edition emailed asking me to come on as a guest. My answer was always the same: no.

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And I was honest about why. After my tough time at Today Tonight, I didn’t want to be face to face with Obermeder on live television.

Until one day another invitation landed in my inbox. Obermeder was going on holiday. Would I reconsider if someone else interviewed me?

That someone was Sally Bowrey.

I’d never heard of her. I agreed. I had an escort agency and another book to promote, and it seemed a safe bet.

How wrong I was.

I’d agreed to an interview with one Sally to avoid the potential awkwardness of being interviewed by the other – but what I hadn’t anticipated was walking straight into what felt, to me, like an ambush.

Years later, I don’t remember much about those five or so minutes on live television with Bowrey, but I do remember how they made me feel: humiliated, embarrassed, upset, tearful and angry at myself for agreeing to it.

I’d done plenty of live interviews, both as Samantha and Amanda. During my time at Seven, I was a beauty expert on The Morning Show, sharing the studio with the lovely Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies many times. They were, and still are, consummate professionals.

But with Bowrey, it felt like a completely different story. I’d quit my desk job to become an escort. I accepted that not everyone would approve of my life choices. But it felt as though I was being questioned by police on suspicion of murder.

I remember the hot studio lights, stumbling over my words as I tried to answer what felt like sneering, aggressive questions that came at me faster than I could gather my thoughts.

‘Couldn’t you just ask for flexi hours?’ Bowrey said after I explained that one of the reasons I became Samantha was to achieve a better work-life balance. The question seemed to assume that every workplace simply grants such requests on demand.

Before I could recover, the interview was over and I was left untangling my microphone, fighting back tears before fleeing the studio.

Friends who watched called to see if I was OK. ‘That was pretty brutal,’ one said.

I wasn’t expecting a fireside chat. I was a journalist and knew how it worked. Bowrey wasn’t there to stroke my ego. But this was daytime TV, not 60 Minutes. I was an author and escort, not El Chapo.

There is a difference between asking tough questions and leaving someone feeling the way I did that day.

While the past is the past, I’ve never forgotten how I felt being interviewed by Bowrey and my ill-fated stint at Today Tonight.

Since then, Obermeder has traded television for lifestyle influencing. I noted with interest two recent, unflattering stories about her appeared in the Telegraph – a paper that once breathlessly reported her attending the opening of an envelope.

Bowrey is still at Seven. Woman’s Day referred to her this week as ‘the beloved Weekend Sunrise star’.

I don’t know whether Sarah Abo is bound for Seven or weighing up other career paths after being axed from Today while on maternity leave. But my gut tells me she’s far too nice for that place.

In the world of daytime television, it’s not always the ratings or the bosses you need to watch. Sometimes it’s the hosts sitting right beside you.

Channel Seven was contacted for comment.