Daily Mail Australia has apologised to Sunrise co-host Samantha Armytage after publishing a story and photographs focusing on her underwear.
After a fierce backlash about its treatment of Armytage, and facing threats of potential legal action, the media organisation amended its original online story on Wednesday morning to include an apology.
![<em>Daily Mail Australia</em> has apologised to Samantha Armytage.](/web/20161214231952im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/a/n/6/d/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtan5j.png/1481679542999.jpg)
The story was also edited to remove any reference to Armytage's apparent "giant granny panties", to which the original article had referred.
"An earlier version of this story contained critical statements regarding Samantha Armytage's appearance," the apology reads.
"While the story has since been amended, we apologise for any distress caused to Ms Armytage or readers more generally."
The original story, which attracted widespread criticism, had largely consisted of paparazzi photos of the Channel Seven TV presenter taken after she had been grocery shopping in Bondi at the weekend.
It contained an in-depth description of Armytage's "makeup-free" look and attire, and was followed by various rumours about her love life, all of which she denied in an Instagram post on Sunday.
The article was first published on Sunday night under the headline: "Sunrise host Sam Armytage dares to bare with giant granny panties showing a visible line as she steps out in Sydney ... after slamming rumours she's dating Channel Seven colleagues".
The headline was changed to read: "Casual Sunday! Sunrise host Samantha Armytage goes solo as she heads out on a shopping trip after slamming rumours about her dating life."
The back-down came after Addisons, the Sydney-based law firm acting for Armytage, sent Daily Mail Australia a letter on Monday threatening legal action if it did not immediately retract the story and publicly apologise.
The letter, signed by Addisons partner Justine Munsie, says that Armytage was "at a loss to understand the reasons why Daily Mail Australia has chosen to publish the article, which represents a gross invasion of her privacy".
While Armytage accepted that she was a public figure, and was therefore the subject of media attention, she still had a reasonable expectation that intimate private information that was of no interest to anyone else should not be the subject of media exposure, the letter said.
"For reasons unknown to our client, it appears that the Daily Mail has developed an unhealthy interest in not only the reporting on our client but now seems determined to humiliate and shame her in the most base and personal way," the letter says.
The letter demanded that Daily Mail Australia immediately take down the article, and that the organisation and journalist who wrote the article apologise to Armytage.
"Ms Armytage will take your response into account when considering the legal options next available to her and reserves her rights," the letter said.
It was unclear whether Armytage was still considering legal action following Daily Mail Australia's apology.
In response to the original article, Armytage's breakfast television rival Lisa Wilkinson had tweeted her support for her fellow morning host.
Logie-winning actress Rebecca Gibney also voiced her support, posting a picture on her Instagram account and noting that the same media outlet had reported on a similar picture as a "nude selfie" last month.