Amy RobachandT.J. Holmesopened up for the first time about their relationship on Tuesday, and the fallout that came when their romance was made public.
In the first episode ofAmy and T.J. Podcast, their new iHeartRadio podcast, the formerGMA3: What You Need to Knowco-anchors got candid about their exit from the ABC series, with Holmes describing them as “the folks who lost the jobs we love because we love each other.”
“That is the bottom line and that is why we are here now,” said Holmes, 46. Robach, 50, called the podcast debut “the first time we get to say what happened and where we are today.”
She went on to share that the duo have “gone through a year of hell” as she gave an insight into their romance, which she called “the most beautiful relationship I’ve ever had in my life.”
“In the end, all of us are always rooting for love,” she said. “It doesn’t always happen when you want it to happen, where you want it happen. And it’s undeniable when it’s real and it’s something you have to navigate and it’s not easy.”
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes.Wes and Alex for iHeart Media
Wes and Alex for iHeart Media
Said Robach: “Relationships are hard, they’re messy, they’re not perfect, but we have fought for love, and I can say I have never been happier. I am with my best friend.”
Adding that he’s the “happiest and healthiest that I’ve been in my life,” Holmes continued, “Bottom line we have not said this. I’m in love with this woman and she’s in love with me and we are planning a life together.”
“A lot of you understand that life, love, marriage, relationships can be messy and usually are,” said Holmes.
iHeart Radio’s Amy & T.J. Podcast.iHeartPodcasts
iHeartPodcasts
Robach and Holmes firstannounced the podcastventure on Nov. 1 while making their relationship Instagram-official. Coincidentally, its Dec. 5 launch day comes exactly one year after ABC News President Kim Godwinmade the call to put them on hiatusas news of their workplace romance surfaced.
A source at the time told PEOPLE that “GMAdecided to have a period of cooling down, because they thought this was unwanted attention.” PEOPLE later confirmed in January that the pair wereofficially departing the series, a spokesperson for ABC indicated that the decision was reached “after several productive conversations with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes about different options.”
Jesse Grant/Getty
Discussing launching the podcast on Dec. 5, Robach noted, “Today is a special day. It’s almost apropos that we would have this podcast air on December 5th because December 5th last year, exactly one year ago today, was the day we were told not to come into work.”
“We never got a follow-up call to say come back,” laughed Holmes, while Robach added, “That’s true. It was the opposite.”
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes at the 2023 New York City Marathon.Bryan Bedder/Getty
Bryan Bedder/Getty
News ofRobach and Holmes' romance was made publicin November 2022 as photos of them cozying up together surfaced. At the time, Robach had not confirmed her separation from her actor husbandAndrew Shue, nor Holmes with his attorney wifeMarilee Fiebig.
“There were rumors they were having an affair about a year ago,” a source previously shared with PEOPLE last year. “A lot of people believed there might have been some truth to it, because you can see there’s a mutual affection there. But everyone ultimately chalked it up to friendship because they always said they were both happily married.”
But denying they ever had an affair on their podcast, Holmes explained, “To be clear, we were outed as being in a relationship, but everyone else thought we were being outed as adulterers — being outed as cheating on our spouses — and it wasn’t the case because the odd thing is, the day those pictures were taken and the day that article was released, we both at that point were in divorce proceedings.”
“We had attorneys, mediators, we were in the middle of divorces,” insisted Robach, noting that when the first snap of the pair was taken, her estranged husband had moved out of the house they shared together “three months earlier.”
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are pictured.Dia Dipasupil/Getty
The duo went on to share that they were planning to reveal their relationship after their respective divorces were finalized. They had drafted a press release that they never sent out, they said.
“I have it in my phone still,” said Holmes. “You made a statement about where you were in your marriage, and I made a statement about my divorce proceeding and those statements were never released.”
“You don’t know what to do,” said Robach.
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Holmes also quipped that the pair toyed with the idea of calling the podcast,Scandal-less"because this was the scandal that wasn’t.”
Since their romance became public, Robach and Holmes havebecome more comfortable showcasing their relationshipwithin the public eye, with many of their romantic outings occurring bothat homeandabroad. Over the weekend, Robach and Holmesmade their red carpet debut as a coupleat iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball 2023.
iHeartRadio’sAmy and T.J.is available wherever podcasts are streamed.
source: people.com
