FORMER GMA-3 anchor Amy Robach has opened up about a scary experience she had on the Fourth of July.
Amy, 51, shared the story on her podcast with her boyfriend, TJ Holmes, 46.
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Amy was 14 when her uncle was killed in a lightning stormCredit: Getty
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Amy said her mom, Joan, and dad, Mike, were both seriously injured in the incidentCredit: Instagram/ajrobach
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Amy said that the traumatic experience changed her family’s Fourth of July traditionsCredit: Instagram/ajrobach
Amy and TJ were discussing their Fourth of July traditions when she shared that the holiday makes her a “little nervous” because when she was 14, her family members were struck by lightning in a thunderstorm.
“All of those traditions kind of fell off because of one Fourth of July when I was 14,” Amy said on the July 3 episode of the Amy & TJ podcast.
“It’s actually really serious.
“That’s when my parents got struck by lightning and my uncle did too.”
Amy says that her family was celebrating the holiday together when her uncle was standing up against a tree that was struck by lightning.
“My parents were blown standing next to him, and he just crumbled,” she said.
Amy said that her mom, Joan, and dad, Mike, were also seriously injured in the incident.
Her dad had to have CPR performed on him, and her mom was “in the hospital for weeks.”
“My dad was in the ICU, but their tennis shoes got blown off of their feet,” she added.
“Their clothes had to be cut off of them.”
Sadly, Amy’s Uncle Jack ultimately died from the horrifying accident.
Amy then warned listeners that “lightning kills.”
“The Fourth of July is one of those holidays where everybody’s out and about and it tends to be a thunderstorm heavy holiday,” she added.
There’s a 20% of chance of showers and thunderstorms on July 4 this year where Amy and TJ live and work in New York City, according to the National Weather Service.
During the podcast episode, Amy went on to say that she usually travels around the holiday, but that she’ll be spending this year’s Fourth with TJ and his 11-year-old daughter Sabine.
Amy Robach and TJ Holmes’ Relationship Timeline
Amy and TJ worked together on GMA3 for years as friends and then their relationship turned romantic in 2022
November 2022 – Amy and TJ were spotted holding hands and looking intimate at a bar in New York City, sparking dating rumors. The hosts were both married to other people at the time
Days later – TJ and Amy deleted their social media accounts
December 2 – the couple references their relationship on GMA3
December 5 – Amy and TJ are put on hiatus from the morning show and were replaced by fill-in anchors
December 29 – TJ and Marilee Fiebig file for divorce. Amy and TJ also spent the holidays together.
January 27, 2023 – TJ and Amy were let go from ABC News
February 2023 – the couple vacations together in Mexico
March 19 – Amy and TJ run half-marathon together, something they had been training for for years
March – Amy and ex-husband, Andrew Shue finalize divorce
November 1 – The Amy & TJ podcast is started
December 1 – Amy and TJ make their red carpet debut as a couple at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in Los Angeles
December 5 – Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig begin dating each other
April 21, 2024 – the couple “hasn’t decided if they are going to get married yet”
TJ said that the group considered getting out of town for the holiday.
“The fireworks display here in town is actually quite nice,” TJ said.
“But we also considered getting to a lake, getting a boat, doing something else and just getting out of town.
“I kind of want to be out of New York for the 4th. But the fireworks display is awesome.”
Amy’s tragic story comes just weeks after she admitted to feeling “manipulative” while opening up about a side of her that “nobody knows” except for TJ.
In April, the couple opened up about their plans for the future after first making headlines in 2022, when it was unveiled that the former anchors were dating each other behind their then-spouses’ backs.
