The relationship betweenGood Morning Americaco-hostsAmy RobachandT.J. Holmeswas no secret to their colleagues.
“There were so many people internally that were unhappy about it,” the insider shares of the romance between Robach, 49, and Holmes, 45. “They were flirtatious.”
Reps forGMA, Robach and Holmes have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach.Noam Galai/Getty
The co-hosts' 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.
Asecond source previously told PEOPLEthat Holmes and Robach’s relationship was “the worst kept secret [at] ABC News.”
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“They had no shame going out together and have been publicly doing this for much longer than a month,” the source said. “Staffers are very surprised it took this long to come out. Everyone was turning a blind eye because they didn’t want the controversy surrounding the show.”
Bryan Bedder/New York Road Runners via Getty
However, another source refuted that claim, telling PEOPLE that there wasno overlapbetweentheGMA 3co-anchors' romance and their respective marriages. (Robach ismarried to actor Andrew Shuewhile Holmes is married toattorney Marilee Fiebig. Both couples were married in 2010.)
“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 of Robach and Holmes. “The relationship didn’t start until after that.”
Speaking to PEOPLE on Thursday evening, the source adds: “Everyone knew they were really good friends and joked how good their chemistry was, but they shut it down and made it clear they were each going through their own stuff and there was nothing between them … their lives were intertwined because of work and they were best friends, so when their marriages ended, he was there for her and it was a very natural transition.”
“Stuff with her and Andrew was difficult starting early summer this year, and they had issues before,” the source says, noting that Robach was waiting to announce the divorce news until it was settled.
Holmes joined theGMAteam in 2014 and immediately struck up a close connection with Robach. She previously told PEOPLE about their friendship. “[They] said, ‘Hey, we want to bring on a co-anchor. What do you think of T.J. Holmes?’ And I almost fell out of my chair,” she said.
“My God. You couldn’t have picked a better person to ask me what I thought of, because we’ve been trying to figure out a way to work together for literally the last five years.”
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source: people.com
