The friendship of Good Morning America co-hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes was well known among their colleagues.
According to a TV insider, despite the fact that word of their affair leaked this week, the couple’s connection was “widely known” among many GMA personnel — so much so that they were instructed to “stop off” their amorous conduct a while ago.
“There were so many people internally who were angry about it,” an informant said of Robach and Holmes’ connection. “They were a little flirty.”
The co-hosts’ romance became public on Wednesday after images of them holding hands in a car, enjoying a vacation in upstate New York, and snuggling up at a New York City bar appeared. Both journalists’ Instagram accounts were deleted hours later.
According to a second source, Holmes and Robach’s relationship was “the worst kept secret [at] ABC News.”
“They had no guilt going out together and have been doing this publicly for far more than a month,” stated the person.
“Employees are amazed it took this long to come out. Everyone was turning a blind eye since they didn’t want the show to be marred by controversy.”
Another source, however, contradicted the report, telling PEOPLE that the GMA 3 co-anchors’ romance and their separate marriages had no overlap.
Robach’s wife is actor Andrew Shue, while Holmes’ wife is attorney Marilee Fiebig.) In 2010, both couples married.
“This involved two consenting adults who were separated. They both divorced their husbands in August, just weeks apart “Robach and Holmes, according to the source. “It wasn’t until after that that the romance began.”
“Everyone knew they were really good friends and joked about 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,” the source tells PEOPLE on Thursday evening.
“Stuff with her and Andrew was rough starting early summer this year, and they had issues previously,” the insider claims, adding that Robach waited until the divorce was finalized before announcing the news.
Holmes joined the GMA team in 2014 and quickly became friends with Robach. She previously revealed their friendship.
‘Hey, we’d want to bring on a co-anchor,’ they said. ‘How do you feel about T.J. Holmes?’ And I nearly fell out of my chair “She stated.
“My God. You couldn’t have chosen a better person to ask what I thought of, because we’ve been trying to figure out a way to collaborate for the last five years.”