Kelly Ripa Shares How ‘All My Children’ Is ‘Responsible’ for Her ‘Entire Life’

Kelly Ripa is revealing how All My Children completely transformed her life to what it is today. Fans know by now that Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos met on the set of the popular daytime soap opera, but she isn’t failing to let people forget the credit she gives that show for her family today. When she was playing the role of Hayley Vaughan and he was playing Mateo Santos, in the beginning, little did they both know they would one day say “I do” and start a family together.

“All My Children 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,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “I got [Live With Regis and Kelly] standing in my dressing room on All My Children. It’s responsible for my entire life. I’m not being glib when I say that.” The sweet pair tied the knot in 1996 and now share three children together: Michael, 23; Lola, 19; and Joaquin, 17.

After more than two decades together, the pair still act like honeymooners too. The couple is not shy about showing their affection for one another on their social media platforms, and they’ve seemingly always found a way to stay as together as possible, even when their jobs bring them to different states. However, that did change recently as a result of the pandemic. Consuelos was filming his show Riverdale in Canada and Ripa was in New York City for her show, Live with Kelly and Ryan, and because of COVID-19 protocols, the two were not allowed to travel and see each other, forcing them to spend 6 months apart.

Ripa made sure to celebrate her husband’s return in December, even taking a day off from work to do so. When All My Children came to an end in 2011, Ripa said that was a tough thing not just for her, but she feels for the fans as well. “Not for myself because I had left the show by then, but I was devastated for the fan base cause it means so much to them.”

While she and her husband continue to stay busy with work, they are already planning for retirement. She revealed that she would love to live in Palm Springs, California. As there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone coming out of 2020, Ripa says she’s excited to travel and noted that when she does, she and her family like to do it spontaneously and visit where all the locals tend to go.