Amy Robach broke down on her podcast while discussing her youngest daughter Annalise McIntosh going away to college.
On Monday's episode of Amy and T.J.—which she co-hosts with boyfriend T.J. Holmes—the couple discussed empty nest syndrome, a term referring to the loneliness parents may experience when their children leave home.
"It's a very exciting time for her, but for you and a bunch of other parents, this is a very difficult time of transition, and even though empty nest syndrome we were saying is not a clinical diagnosis, it's a real thing," Holmes said. "A phenomenon, we should call it."
"Yes, and I think I have been scared about it for the last year," Robach responded as her voice changed with emotion. "I've been nervous, like letting go."
"What are you nervous about?" Holmes asked. "I'm asking that genuinely."
The former ABC News reporter said: "They do say that women are disproportionately affected than men, but I think especially with the trajectory of my life and the one thing that's stayed the same—the one thing that's never waivered—is my relationship with my children. All the ins and outs and ups and downs of life, that love was the one constant in my life that never changed."
She continued: "And so it's not going to change, but the location, the logistics—that is what's going to change and that is hard to let go of because your purpose of course is to live a full and exciting life, but a big part of that purpose when you're a mom is making sure your kids are okay and making sure they have what they need."
"When you have to let them just go off in the world, you have to let go and that's hard," Robach said. "And I'll be fine and I'll get there, but I have not been looking forward to this."
Newsweek reached out to Robach via email for additional comment.
In November 2022, news of Robach's romance with Holmes broke while she was still legally married to her husband, Melrose Place star Andrew Shue, and Holmes was still legally married to his wife, attorney Marilee Fiebig. At the time, Robach and Holmes were co-hosts on GMA3: What You Need to Know and were subsequently fired. Both Robach and Holmes denied an affair took place and maintain they were each in the process of divorcing their partners when their relationship began.
Robach shares daughters Annalise and Ava with ex-husband Tim McIntosh. The couple were married from 1996 to 2008. In 2010, she wed Shue, and they finalized their divorce in 2023. Meanwhile, Holmes is a dad to daughter Sabine with Fiebig. He also shares son Jaiden and daughter Brianna with ex-wife Amy Ferson. Holmes and Fiebig also finalized their divorce in 2023.
During the podcast episode, Robach touched on her splits from McIntosh and Shue.
"You can look at the bad and the negative with divorce and upheaval and all of that. That's not anything I would ever suggest or want for anyone or any family," the former 20/20 anchor said. "However, we have had the unique experience of being able to just be the two of us."
Annalise McIntosh, who appeared on Monday's podcast with her mom, added: "I would definitely say not to dwell on the past. That would be my big thing. Things happen for a reason that might not be for a good reason, but, eventually, it all works out."
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