Two decades of love and passion: The fairytale story of Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa have been married for over 20 years and have three children together; Michael Joseph, Lola Grace, and Joaquin Antonio. When it comes to long-lasting love in showbiz, only a handful of couples qualify and Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are very much in that handful.
The couple has been together for more than two decades and has enjoyed their time together. Anyone who takes a look at Kelly's Instagram handle will automatically know exactly how in love these two are.
Kelly met Mark during a screen test for 'All My Children'. She had been playing the role of Hayley Vaughan in the soap opera for around five years when Mark auditioned for the show. Their instant chemistry got Consuelos the role of Mateo Santos.
Consuelos proposed to Ripa over pizza and wine. Ripa explained to her 'Live' audience the details when she told him to ask her only when he was serious. His response was, "I am serious. Let's go to Vegas tomorrow and get married."
After their nuptials, the couple gave their first interview as a married couple to Soap Opera Digest. They were asked when they fell in love and Consuelos said, "As far as I'm concerned, instantly—before we ever had a scene together."
Just after the pair got married the couple had their first child, Michael Joseph. Their second children Lola Grace was born in 2001. The family grew to five when the youngest child was born in 2003.
In 2001, Ripa was chosen as the replacement for Kathie Lee Gifford on the show, "Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee." When she became the co-host of the show, Ripa's 11-year career on "All My Children" came to an end. In 2010, Ripa and Consuelos returned to the show for its 40th anniversary.
The couple works very well on screen and off and they opted to become business partners. They launched their own production company, Milojo. The name of the company is based on the names of their children; Michael, Lola, and Joaquin. the company has worked with Discovery Channel, TLC, and Logo.
The couple celebrated their 20th anniversary in April 2016 and took a trip to Turks and Caicos. Ripa also decided to wear her wedding dress which she had worn when she married her husband 20 years.
There are very few celebrity love stories that tug on your heart strings, but this is certainly one of them. May they live happily forever.