'Devastated' Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes Near End of Mediation, Fear They Can't 'Possibly Be Put Back on Air'

As source tells PEOPLE that T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach have been "in mediation with ABC about what the future holds" for them, a second insider says "everyone's being kept in the dark"

T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach are facing their uncertain future together.

Nearly two months after the GMA3 co-anchors were placed on temporary hiatus, as ABC continues to investigate their relationship, a source close to the couple tells PEOPLE that Robach, 49, and Holmes, 45, believe the "public reaction has not been as bad as what ABC thought it would be." That said, says the source, "they [ABC] were hedging their bets when they took them off the air" — and then "the public shrugged it off.

That said, the impact on the pair has been real: "They can't believe this is happening to them. Amy and T.J. are devastated," adds the source. "They're very, very much together in every way. They're proceeding with their divorces as they were going to anyway, and they're in mediation with ABC about what the future holds. But nobody feels like they could possibly be put back on air after the way this has been handled."

The insider reiterates a point expressed previously by insiders, noting that co-hosts "didn't do anything that wrong."

"They're grown adults who were both getting divorced anyway," the insider adds. "This is a consensual relationship between two grown adults."

Paula Lobo/ABC/Getty

According to a separate source, it's become "very clear" that Holmes and Robach are "going to be leaving [GMA3]."

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"Everyone involved has been assuming this is what was coming all along," said the insider, adding that the meditation process has been "relatively short" but "not a nice process at all."

As for what's next, another source hears the network was "prepping a statement" about their next steps.

"Everyone's being kept in the dark. We all know it's coming, but not sure when," the insider continues.

Amy Robach and TJ Holmes. Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The co-anchors–turned–romantic partners made headlines in November after photos of them holding hands surfaced. At the time, both parties were married to other people — Holmes to attorney Marilee Fiebig, Robach to actor Andrew Shue — and had not given any public indication that they had separated from their spouses of 12 years.

Holmes and Fiebig eventually filed for divorce in December. While Robach and Shue do not appear to have filed for divorce just yet, a source previously told PEOPLE that the longtime couple parted ways in August.

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As PEOPLE confirmed that Holmes and Robach were dating, a source said their "relationship didn't start until after" their respective breakups. They also spent the holidays together and "are not hiding anything at all because they have no reason to."

News of Holmes and Robach's romance led to their GMA3 hiatus. Earlier this month, a source said that "there are no negotiations about their future."