Robin Roberts was "afraid" to come out as a lesbian.

The 63-year-old broadcaster - who tied the knot with massage therapist Amber Laign, 48, last summer after almost 20 years of dating - had been fronting the ABC news programme 'Good Morning America' for nearly a decade when she decided to announce her sexuality to the world in 2013 but admitted that she had been hesitant to do so because she was also known for her religious beliefs.

Speaking on the 'The Jamie Kern Lima Show' podcast, she said: "I would walk down the street with Amber, and if somebody saw us, I would introduce her. I wasn’t trying to hide but yet, I wasn’t ready to, to fully... And part of it is, and I’ve never said this before, part of it is because of my Christianity.

"I was afraid that people, they think you can’t be gay and a Christian. And I am. I am and I was so fearful that I would be shunned."

But Robin now thinks about all the "wasted years" that she spent worrying about what others thought of her and now feels "so grateful" for what she has in her life.

She added: "Then I think about all those years I wasted, worried, needless worry. You know everything about me. And I have nothing to hide and to still be, still be embraced. I am blessed and highly favored. And I’m so grateful."

The former ESPN reporter announced the news that she had tied the knot to the world in an Instagram, where both brides were pictured holding hands in their white wedding gowns.

She wrote: "An intimate, magical wedding ceremony in our backyard followed by a joyous reception… ohhhh the dancing!!”