"Perfect" is the word that comes to mind when this effervescent blonde is mentioned. With all-American good looks, a gorgeous husband, two long-term TV gigs and three children, Ripa is the reigning princess of multitasking. After briefly appearing as a dancer on
Dance Party USA, she joined the cast of the daytime soap
All My Children at age 20. Toward the end of her 12-year run on the show — during which she eloped with her on-screen love interest, Mark Consuelos — Ripa became the cohost of the morning talk show
Live with Regis & Kelly in 2001. Two years later she landed her own prime-time sitcom,
Hope & Faith, playing (what else?) a washed-up soap star.
Kelly Ripa Fast Facts:
- Was a featured dancer on the USA Network's Dance Party USA in the late '80s.
- Became permanent cohost of Live with Regis and Kelly in 2001, succeeding Kathie Lee Gifford. She and Regis have been nominated for four Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Talk Show Hosts.
- Fell in love with All My Children castmate Mark Consuelos, who played her onscreen romantic interest. They eloped to Las Vegas in 1996.
- Received the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Younger Leading Actress for All My Children in 1996 and again in 2000.
- Received the Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Romance for All My Children in 1998; shared with Consuelos.
- Kelly Ripa Relationships:
- Esther Ripa - Mother
- Joaquin Consuelos - Son
- Joseph Ripa - Father
- Linda Ripa - Sister
- Lola Grace Consuelos - Daughter
- Mark Consuelos - Husband
- Michael Joseph Consuelos - Son
- College:
- Attended Camden Community College, Camden, NJ
