Kelly Ripa Credits Ryan Seacrest's Arrival on 'Live' for Her Decision to Quit Drinking

Kelly Ripa revealed Ryan Seacrest helped her quit drinking once the American Idol host joined Live with Kelly and Ryan in 2017. During Monday's episode, Ripa said her life has been "amazing" since leaving alcohol behind. The revelation came while Ripa and Seacrest discussed a new report on a decline in wine sales in the U.S.

"They're saying that Americans bought less wine last year. It's the first drop in a quarter of a century," Ripa said Monday, reports PEOPLE. "Now, I believe this is because I quit drinking, that I caused this dip. I have influenced the market."

"I'm not saying I've driven people [out of drinking alcohol], I'm saying I stopped buying wine and there's a... dip," the mother of three continued.

"I started the show and she quit drinking," Seacrest quipped. "What does that tell you?"

"Exactly... it's amazing," Ripa, 49, added.

Last week, industry tracker IWSR reported a 0.9 percent decline in the volume of wine consumed in the U.S. in 2019, reports The Wall Street Journal. It was the first such decline in 25 years. However, U.S. wine sales overall saw a 1.1 percent climb from the previous year to $38.3 billion.

"Millennials are just not embracing wine with open arms compared to previous generations," Brandy Rand, IWSR's chief operating officer for the Americas, explained to The Wall Street Journal. "With the rise in low and no-alcohol products and general consumer trends toward health and wellness, wine is in a tough place."

That does not explain why Ripa dropped drinking. During Monday's episode, she did not explain what other factors were behind her decision, but the actress clearly takes staying fit seriously. When she shared a photo of herself in a bikini in 2018, husband Mark Consuelos told one critic she is committed to a healthy diet.

"She works extremely hard in her professional life and her commitment to exercise, healthy diet is admirable and the benefits show," Consuelos wrote at the time. "Yes she's wearing a bikini at age 47 and will no doubt wear one for many years to come."

Ripa also told viewers in 2015 she follows a high-alkaline diet, which focuses on vegetables and avoids acidic foods.

"It has changed my life, it's changed the whole way I think about food," Ripa said at the time.

Seacrest also takes staying fit seriously. He has to, considering how often he is on television and radio. Seacrest works out four to five days a week at New York City's Dogpound gym.

"I want to look stronger and larger than a 13-year-old kid," Seacrest told Men's Health last year.

Seacrest will be back on American Idol, starting on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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