Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Show Awkward Way They Have to Hold Hands

Following decades of marriage, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have managed to overcome a major obstacle in their relationship: “arm length” incompatibility. During Monday’s episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, Ripa and her husband, who was filling in for Ryan Seacrest, demonstrated the unique way they have to hold hands.

Welcoming her husband on as co-host, Ripa got down to the nitty-gritty of their relationship, telling audience members and viewers that she and Consuelos “just tried something we never do at home but for some reason, we tried it backstage: holding hands.” Ripa went on to point out that she and her husband are “arm length incompatible,” making the simple gesture of hand holding a daunting task. The longtime host of the morning show explained that the Riverdale actor’s “arms are – you know how they say that you hold out your arms and your wingspan is the length of your body? Mark’s arms are 4 inches longer than the length of his body.” Unfortunately for the couple, Ripa’s arms “are 4 inches shorter.” Ripa continued, “but when we try to hold hands … you want to show everybody what happens when we try to hold hands?”

After Consuelos gave a resounding, “Sure, why not,” the pair stood next to each other, showing off the stark difference in length of their arms. Consuelos added, “So we have to hold hands like this,” as he and his wife grabbed hands and then stood several feet apart, their arms outstretched.

“Not kidding. That’s how we walk and hold hands,” Ripa laughed. “You know, in New York, people are like, ‘Yeah, take up the whole sidewalk!’ And I go, ‘Have you seen our arms? Shut it! Go around us!’”

Ripa and Consuelos have managed to overcome the obstacle after more than two decades of marriage. The couple first met in 1995 when they were co-stars on All My Children, with Ripa sharing on E!‘s event series Reunion Road Trip that the show “is responsible for my entire life. I don’t, like, say that lightly. I met my husband on All My Children. I had my children on All My Children.” Just a year after meeting, the couple eloped on May 1, 1996, at the Chapel of the Bells in Las Vegas. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in May 2021, the couple revisiting the very spot they tied the knot alongside their three children – daughter Lola, 20, and sons Michael, 24, and Joaquin, 18.