Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on ‘All My Children’.Photo:Jim Antonucci/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Jim Antonucci/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Kelly Ripais opening up about the difficult days that followed the birth of her first son,Michael.
On Wednesday’s episode of her podcast,Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, theLive with Kelly and Markhost, 53, opened up to guestHilarie Burton Morganabout a particularly unpleasant experience she had on set ofAll My Children, the soap that launched her career in 1990 — and led her to her husband,Mark Consuelos.
“I think all women who have given birth will tell you that they are on an island,” she recalled of her first postpartum experience. “I don’t care what the support system is like — my in-laws moved in with us and I felt like I was on an island because I didn’t recognize my body.”
Ripa then revealed that she “had to go back to work” onAll My Childrenjust“nine days after giving birth.”
“No!” Burton replied as she called the quick turnaround “brutal.”
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on ‘All My Children’.Ann Limongello/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Ann Limongello/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
While Ripa’s postpartum experience wasn’t all pleasant on the soap opera, she stillcredits the series for launching her career— something that even shocks her, considering she nearly wasn’t cast in the role in the first place.
“I got like, six callbacks and two screen tests, ‘cause they were really sure they wanted me," she recalled toEntertainment Weeklyin 2020. “And I wound up getting the job. But it was really — I mean, talk about happy accidents. It really was a happy accident. It changed my life. It changed my entire life — not just my acting life, but changed the whole trajectory of my life.”
Eventually, Ripa transitioned from acting to being a morning show host, as she joinedLive with Regisin 2001 and has remained the show’s host ever since. Consuelos, 53,joined her as a co-host in April.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on ‘Live’.John Argueta/ABC
John Argueta/ABC
He recalled a similar experience being cast as Mateo Santos early in his career. “What drew me to the role was that I had never worked as an actor before, so that was very exciting, to get a job,” he toldEW. “It was one of my first auditions. Similarly, I had to re-screen test a few times as well.”
His now-wife was rooting for him, though. “You know, Mark was working the whole time and so we bonded with him as a cast,” she said. “So imagine, suddenly, they kept saying, ‘Well, there’s got to be a better actor out there.’ And we’re like, ‘No, he’s our friend now! We love him.'”
The paireloped in Las Vegas in 1996. After welcoming Michael in 1997, they went on to welcome daughterLola, 22, and sonJoaquin, 20.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos with their kids Michael, 26, Lola, 22, and Joaquin, 20.Kelly Ripa/Instagram
Kelly Ripa/Instagram
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For a 2022 cover story, Ripa admitted thatshe and Consuelos were “too young to get married”when they wed at 25.
“On paper it should not have worked and when it didn’t work, we really worked at it. We fought for our marriage when it would have been easier to quit and throw in the towel,” she told PEOPLE. “Listen, my parents have been married for 61 years and Mark’s parents have been married for 55 years. We didn’t know any other way.”
source: people.com
