Amy Robach Reflects on 'Crippling' Worries About Death She Had After Breast Cancer Diagnosis: 'That Fear Is Real'

Mar. 15, 2025

Amy Robach.Photo:Jeff Neira/ABC via GettyAmy Robachknows how scary it can be to face death.On Tuesday’s episode of theAmy and T.J. Podcast— her show with boyfriendT.J. Holmes— the formerGood Morning Americaanchor reflected on the worries she felt after she wasdiagnosed with Stage II breast cancerin October 2013.Her remarks came as she and Holmes spoke with Tim Whittaker and Valley Collins, survivors of the “Miracle on the Hudson,” on the15th anniversary of the incident.“I really appreciate your honesty and your transparency,” Robach, 50, said. “Because when the unthinkable happens —when the thing that is almost impossible, actually happens to you — that fear is real. And fear is a powerful thing.”“When people say, ‘‘Oh, what are the chances?’ You can say, ‘Actually, if it’s less than 1%, if it happens to you, it’s everything. It’s 100%,’ " she stressed. “And living then your life, knowing that your greatest fear could actually happen, is crippling in moments.“Holmes and Robach discussed how they would have coped in the Hudson crash on their podcast.Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)The “Miracle on the Hudson” occurred on Jan. 15, 2009 whenCapt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger IIIheroicallymade an emergency landingon the Hudson River after the plane he was piloting, US Airways Flight 1549, struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff, losing all engine powerAll 155 passengers onboard were saved, but as Whittaker and Collins told Robach and Holmes, they feared for the worst.Hearing about their near-death experience helped put things into perspective for Holmes, 46. He said on the podcast Tuesday that that — as well as Robach’sbreast cancerscare — have had an impact on his outlook on life.“You all help me, everybody I’m sitting here with,” he told Robach, Whittaker and Collins.The pair spoke about the Hudson plane crash on the 15th anniversary of the incident.Mario Tama/GettyRobach learned about her diagnosis after she had amammogram live onGMA. She hada double mastectomyand eight rounds of chemotherapy, before herfinal round of treatmentin April 2014.Though it’s been 8 years, Robach, Holmes said, “thought she was going to die” when she was diagnosed and still relives that fear “every 6 months,” when she gets checkups. “You’re still wondering about how much time you have left,” Holmes said to Robach.That left Holmes wondering about fate.“Maybe all three of you have got to help me understand here,” he said. “Who chalks that up to just coincidence? … I’ve got more into later in my life about the universe giving you signs. There are signs out there… But how do you make sense of, ‘‘I’m not supposed to be here?’ “Holmes and Robach spoke to two survivors of the Hudson crash on their podcast.Sara Jaye/GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Whittaker was quick to respond. “I can’t explain it either — and probably nor can any of us, about why did this happen or what if? That kind of thinking is a lost cause,” he noted. “But what we can say is, ‘Well, I am still here and what more purposeful, meaningful impact can I have on the lives of those that are most close to me and depend upon me?’ ““For me, at least, I’ve tried to be a better parent and spouse and brother and son to my parents. So trying to be that better individual,” h said. “But, more importantly, I’ve become much more influential as a mentor in other folks’ lives that are going through challenging circumstances. I’ve found a lot of reward and satisfaction in that — in trying to help others navigate their circumstances, which seems maybe traumatic at the time.“He joked, “I can always say, ‘Yeah, but you weren’t in a plane crash!’ ”Taylor Hill/WireImage; Chris McGrath/GettyAfter speaking with Whittaker and Collins, Holmes and Robach said they “couldn’t imagine” communicating with each other for the last time.“I’m still fascinated,” Holmes said on the podcast about the crash. “I can’t imagine [Collins’] husband … the text, ‘My plane is crashing.’ She says she sent him that message as they were going down.”“I can’t imagine getting that type of message from you,” he told Robach.“I hope to never send one like that, T.J.,” Robach responded before jokingly adding “That’ll be on my list of goals of things not to do.”“Put a sweet emoji next to it,” Holmes suggested with a laugh. “Maybe it’ll lighten it.”

Amy Robach.Photo:Jeff Neira/ABC via Getty

Jeff Neira/ABC via Getty

Amy Robachknows how scary it can be to face death.On Tuesday’s episode of theAmy and T.J. Podcast— her show with boyfriendT.J. Holmes— the formerGood Morning Americaanchor reflected on the worries she felt after she wasdiagnosed with Stage II breast cancerin October 2013.Her remarks came as she and Holmes spoke with Tim Whittaker and Valley Collins, survivors of the “Miracle on the Hudson,” on the15th anniversary of the incident.“I really appreciate your honesty and your transparency,” Robach, 50, said. “Because when the unthinkable happens —when the thing that is almost impossible, actually happens to you — that fear is real. And fear is a powerful thing.”“When people say, ‘‘Oh, what are the chances?’ You can say, ‘Actually, if it’s less than 1%, if it happens to you, it’s everything. It’s 100%,’ " she stressed. “And living then your life, knowing that your greatest fear could actually happen, is crippling in moments.“Holmes and Robach discussed how they would have coped in the Hudson crash on their podcast.Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)The “Miracle on the Hudson” occurred on Jan. 15, 2009 whenCapt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger IIIheroicallymade an emergency landingon the Hudson River after the plane he was piloting, US Airways Flight 1549, struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff, losing all engine powerAll 155 passengers onboard were saved, but as Whittaker and Collins told Robach and Holmes, they feared for the worst.Hearing about their near-death experience helped put things into perspective for Holmes, 46. He said on the podcast Tuesday that that — as well as Robach’sbreast cancerscare — have had an impact on his outlook on life.“You all help me, everybody I’m sitting here with,” he told Robach, Whittaker and Collins.The pair spoke about the Hudson plane crash on the 15th anniversary of the incident.Mario Tama/GettyRobach learned about her diagnosis after she had amammogram live onGMA. She hada double mastectomyand eight rounds of chemotherapy, before herfinal round of treatmentin April 2014.Though it’s been 8 years, Robach, Holmes said, “thought she was going to die” when she was diagnosed and still relives that fear “every 6 months,” when she gets checkups. “You’re still wondering about how much time you have left,” Holmes said to Robach.That left Holmes wondering about fate.“Maybe all three of you have got to help me understand here,” he said. “Who chalks that up to just coincidence? … I’ve got more into later in my life about the universe giving you signs. There are signs out there… But how do you make sense of, ‘‘I’m not supposed to be here?’ “Holmes and Robach spoke to two survivors of the Hudson crash on their podcast.Sara Jaye/GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Whittaker was quick to respond. “I can’t explain it either — and probably nor can any of us, about why did this happen or what if? That kind of thinking is a lost cause,” he noted. “But what we can say is, ‘Well, I am still here and what more purposeful, meaningful impact can I have on the lives of those that are most close to me and depend upon me?’ ““For me, at least, I’ve tried to be a better parent and spouse and brother and son to my parents. So trying to be that better individual,” h said. “But, more importantly, I’ve become much more influential as a mentor in other folks’ lives that are going through challenging circumstances. I’ve found a lot of reward and satisfaction in that — in trying to help others navigate their circumstances, which seems maybe traumatic at the time.“He joked, “I can always say, ‘Yeah, but you weren’t in a plane crash!’ ”Taylor Hill/WireImage; Chris McGrath/GettyAfter speaking with Whittaker and Collins, Holmes and Robach said they “couldn’t imagine” communicating with each other for the last time.“I’m still fascinated,” Holmes said on the podcast about the crash. “I can’t imagine [Collins’] husband … the text, ‘My plane is crashing.’ She says she sent him that message as they were going down.”“I can’t imagine getting that type of message from you,” he told Robach.“I hope to never send one like that, T.J.,” Robach responded before jokingly adding “That’ll be on my list of goals of things not to do.”“Put a sweet emoji next to it,” Holmes suggested with a laugh. “Maybe it’ll lighten it.”

Amy Robachknows how scary it can be to face death.

On Tuesday’s episode of theAmy and T.J. Podcast— her show with boyfriendT.J. Holmes— the formerGood Morning Americaanchor reflected on the worries she felt after she wasdiagnosed with Stage II breast cancerin October 2013.

Her remarks came as she and Holmes spoke with Tim Whittaker and Valley Collins, survivors of the “Miracle on the Hudson,” on the15th anniversary of the incident.

“I really appreciate your honesty and your transparency,” Robach, 50, said. “Because when the unthinkable happens —when the thing that is almost impossible, actually happens to you — that fear is real. And fear is a powerful thing.”

“When people say, ‘‘Oh, what are the chances?’ You can say, ‘Actually, if it’s less than 1%, if it happens to you, it’s everything. It’s 100%,’ " she stressed. “And living then your life, knowing that your greatest fear could actually happen, is crippling in moments.”

Holmes and Robach discussed how they would have coped in the Hudson crash on their podcast.Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

The “Miracle on the Hudson” occurred on Jan. 15, 2009 whenCapt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger IIIheroicallymade an emergency landingon the Hudson River after the plane he was piloting, US Airways Flight 1549, struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff, losing all engine power

All 155 passengers onboard were saved, but as Whittaker and Collins told Robach and Holmes, they feared for the worst.

Hearing about their near-death experience helped put things into perspective for Holmes, 46. He said on the podcast Tuesday that that — as well as Robach’sbreast cancerscare — have had an impact on his outlook on life.

“You all help me, everybody I’m sitting here with,” he told Robach, Whittaker and Collins.

The pair spoke about the Hudson plane crash on the 15th anniversary of the incident.Mario Tama/Getty

Robach learned about her diagnosis after she had amammogram live onGMA. She hada double mastectomyand eight rounds of chemotherapy, before herfinal round of treatmentin April 2014.

Though it’s been 8 years, Robach, Holmes said, “thought she was going to die” when she was diagnosed and still relives that fear “every 6 months,” when she gets checkups. “You’re still wondering about how much time you have left,” Holmes said to Robach.

That left Holmes wondering about fate.

“Maybe all three of you have got to help me understand here,” he said. “Who chalks that up to just coincidence? … I’ve got more into later in my life about the universe giving you signs. There are signs out there… But how do you make sense of, ‘‘I’m not supposed to be here?’ "

Holmes and Robach spoke to two survivors of the Hudson crash on their podcast.Sara Jaye/Getty

Sara Jaye/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Whittaker was quick to respond. “I can’t explain it either — and probably nor can any of us, about why did this happen or what if? That kind of thinking is a lost cause,” he noted. “But what we can say is, ‘Well, I am still here and what more purposeful, meaningful impact can I have on the lives of those that are most close to me and depend upon me?’ "

“For me, at least, I’ve tried to be a better parent and spouse and brother and son to my parents. So trying to be that better individual,” h said. “But, more importantly, I’ve become much more influential as a mentor in other folks’ lives that are going through challenging circumstances. I’ve found a lot of reward and satisfaction in that — in trying to help others navigate their circumstances, which seems maybe traumatic at the time.”

He joked, “I can always say, ‘Yeah, but you weren’t in a plane crash!’ ”

Taylor Hill/WireImage; Chris McGrath/Getty

After speaking with Whittaker and Collins, Holmes and Robach said they “couldn’t imagine” communicating with each other for the last time.

“I’m still fascinated,” Holmes said on the podcast about the crash. “I can’t imagine [Collins’] husband … the text, ‘My plane is crashing.’ She says she sent him that message as they were going down.”

“I can’t imagine getting that type of message from you,” he told Robach.

“I hope to never send one like that, T.J.,” Robach responded before jokingly adding “That’ll be on my list of goals of things not to do.”

“Put a sweet emoji next to it,” Holmes suggested with a laugh. “Maybe it’ll lighten it.”

source: people.com