Amy Robachwas waiting to announce her split from estranged husbandAndrew Shuebefore her relationship with herGMA3co-anchor,T.J. Holmes, was made public.
A source tells PEOPLE that the journalist, 49, and Shue, 55, were “about ready to settle their divorce” prior to news breaking about Robach and Holmes' relationship.
“They were waiting on [the settlement] to tell people,” the source says of the pair, who got married in 2010. “The whole point of why she waited to share the news that her marriage was over: she went to [divorce] mediation.”
“The womanhad cancerfor a long time. She was very preoccupied with that,” the source continues. “Stuff with her and Andrew was difficult starting early summer this year and they had issues before.”
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Shue has not spoken publicly on the matter and has not responded to PEOPLE’s numerous attempts for comment.
Amy Robach and Andrew Shue.
The source also notes the connection between Robach and Holmes — who has been married to attorney Marilee Fiebig since 2010 — grew over time, but they previously denied any possibility of a romance, even when others noticed it.
“Everyone knew they were close friends and had good chemistry. She was going through a lot. There was a point at which, several years ago, anotherGMAcast member had sort of made a joke with T.J. about how close he was with Amy and he was very embarrassed,” the source says. “They had each gone through different things and people knew it was a friendship.”
Amy Robach and TJ Holmes.Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Robach and Holmes’relationship was made publicon Wednesday after photos surfaced of them holding hands in a car, enjoying a vacation in upstate New York andcozying up at a barin New York City.
Hours later, both journalists shut down their Instagram accounts. Shue alsoremoved all imagesof Robach on his Instagram Wednesday following the news.
A second source previouslytold PEOPLE similar sentimentsabout how Robach and Holmes' relationship developed over time.
“Amy was going through a heartache and TJ was very much there for her and helpful, and that is when they started something,” the source said. “They had no shame going out together and have been publicly doing this for much longer than a month.”
However, the first source previouslyinsisted to PEOPLEthat the pair did not begin dating until after they separated from their respective spouses.
“This was two consenting adults who were each separated. They both broke up with their spouses in August within weeks of each other,” the source said. “The relationship didn’t start until after that.”
The source said Robach has “got nothing to hide,” adding, “They were both separated so they felt very comfortable dating in the open after that. Their spouses had moved out, even! So they were not hiding anything.”
On Thursday, PEOPLE confirmed that Robach and Shuequietly listedtheir apartment in the West Village neighborhood of New York City in September 2022 and the property entered into contract on Nov. 18, two weeks before Robach’s relationship with Holmes was revealed.
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Robach and Holmes have not publicly commented on their relationship, though theyalluded to the newsduring Friday’s broadcast ofGMA3: What You Need To Know.
At the beginning of the show, Holmes joked, “You know it’s too bad it’s Friday, it’s been a great week. I just want this to keep going and going and going. Just enjoy it.”
Robach laughed as she told Holmes, “Speak for yourself. I am very excited about the weekend, and I’m sure everyone else is too. We all love our Fridays around here — some of us do, at least.”
source: people.com
