Amy Robach was waiting to announce her split from estranged husband Andrew Shue before her relationship with her GMA3 co-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 woman had cancer for 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."
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, another GMA cast 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."
"They 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," the source adds. "She and T.J. just did things together all the time. Her daughter babysat for his daughter. They were open about it. 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."
Robach and Holmes' relationship was made public on Wednesday after photos surfaced of them holding hands in a car, enjoying a vacation in upstate New York and cozying up at a bar in New York City.
Hours later, both journalists shut down their Instagram accounts. Shue also removed all images of Robach on his Instagram Wednesday following the news.
A second source previously told PEOPLE similar sentiments about 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 previously insisted to PEOPLE that 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 Shue quietly listed their 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.
Robach and Holmes have not publicly commented on their relationship, though they alluded to the news during Friday's broadcast of GMA3: 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."
