[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes seemed like they were living their best lives as they went public with their romance — you know, aside from getting kicked off TV. Sure, they lost their jobs, but they were also rich and finally free to indulge in their steamy affair. All good, right? Well, it turns out they were both dealing with major mental health struggles!
We all know the scandal. The GMA3 co-hosts were axed from their jobs after they were caught cheating last year (though they claim their relationships were secretly over before they got together). Now they’re finally opening up about the drama in their brand new podcast, Amy & T.J.! In Tuesday’s premiere episode, Amy drops a bomb when discussing the fallout — she thought T.J. had died by suicide in the early days of the controversy! Whoa.
Recalling that they worked with a “crisis management team” when the news of their fling broke last November, Amy shared:
“We got to a point … where you were in a pretty dark spot. A pretty dark space.”
Initially, it was TJ who struggled the most, something he “didn’t even realize” at the time. But Amy was on high alert after “receiving messages” from him “that were in the past tense,” he revealed, noting, “I’m not sure where my head was.” He had apparently written, “You were the love of my life […] I’m so sorry this has happened.” Yeah. No wonder it sparked concern!!!
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He went on to say his fellow journalist “had to do a wellness check” on him. Amy added:
“That’s a very, very understated way of putting it.”
The former 20/20 co-anchor teared up, sharing:
“I texted back and I said, ‘You’re scaring me. Please tell me you’re OK.’ No response. I call. He doesn’t answer. I FaceTime him. He doesn’t answer his FaceTime. … He’s not answering anybody.”
As she started to “panic,” her parents, who were in NYC at the time, convinced her to go check on him. She went straight to his apartment with her dad, and the doorman let her in. She was “pretty hysterical” upon arrival, and it only got worse as she got closer to learning whether her beau was alive. She emotionally detailed:
“I remember going down the hall, opening the door … and I saw you and you were just splayed out on your bed. I said, ‘T.J.’ and you didn’t move. And I remember it was the most awful thing having to touch your body to see if you were warm. I was so afraid. You were just incoherent.”
Jeez. So horrific, and Marilee Fiebig‘s ex doesn’t even really remember the interaction, either. Thankfully, the father of three was okay. That was a day shortly after the relationship was made public. He had “immediately started pounding vodka [and “who knows how many weed edibles”] and didn’t stop for several hours” after he got off work that morning. He’s lucky he had someone who cares so much, he could have unintentionally harmed himself!
Elsewhere in the episode, Amy also opened up about her own mental health issues through the crisis, revealing she, too, suffered from suicidal thoughts. Andrew Shue‘s ex explained:
“I’m a breast cancer survivor, and I just celebrated 10 years. So I used to always say that 2013 was the worst year of my life, the hardest year of my life. When you go through cancer, yes, you’re afraid that you’re going to die, but you’re fighting to live and you’ve got all these people around you supporting you and cheering you on and saying, ‘You’ve got this.’”
But everything was different amid the alleged affair last year — making 2022 worse, she continued:
“I wanted to die. There were days I wanted to die. That was something I never experienced before in my life. I didn’t want to see what new headline was going to be out there.”
Oof. We’re so glad they both got the help they needed to overcome these challenges. You can hear Amy recount this “terrifying” situation (below):
Reactions? Let us know (below).
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available. Consider contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, by calling, texting, or chatting, or go to 988lifeline.org.
[Image via GMA/YouTube & T.J. Holmes/Instagram]
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