The Real Reason Kelly Ripa And Mark Consuelos Got Back Together

With 24 years of marriage under their belts, it's easy to see that talk show host Kelly Ripa and actor Mark Consuelos have an undeniable bond that's withstood the test of time. Every time Consuelos stands in for Ripa's Live with Kelly and Ryan co-host Ryan Seacrest, the on-screen sparks are undeniable. However, it wasn't always this way. In fact, as the pair once revealed, they broke up the day before they got married!

"We broke up and we got back together the day before we went off and eloped," Ripa said in an interview with the Comments by Celebs podcast. "He popped the question the day before we got married, but that day, that very day that we got back together, we were at a taping of Regis and Kathie Lee."

Ripa explained that, as part of the show's Mother's Day special, one honoree wanted to meet the pair, who were her favorite All My Children characters. But, as Consuelos told Watch What Happens Live's Andy Cohen, Ripa gave him the silent treatment, which drove him crazy. "So, I followed her in Central Park, and then we went back to my place, and we got married the next day. It wasn't a big breakup!" While neither has provided insight into what sparked this breakup, the co-stars reconciled and eloped in Las Vegas the next day. As Ripa told Vanity Fair, their characters had already walked down the aisle multiple times — in real life, one trip did the trick!

For Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, life imitated art, as their characters Hayley and Mateo lived out their own love story on-screen. Yet while soap operas are known for their constant turmoil, this pair mastered the art of marriage because, as Consuelos told Esquire, they recognize that happiness requires constant learning.

"I guess sometimes you see these public marriages end and you wonder, 'Really? You're going to quit now? It's just been a couple of years, maybe you should try to stick it out,'" he explained. "It's kind of great to have a life together with someone. Of course, I'm not supporting staying in a horrible marriage. I'm just saying, if you can, maybe wait until it calms down a little bit. Wait until the magic happens."

Ripa echoed this sentiment during an episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, when she told viewers that although there'll be fights and disagreements, relationships and marriages aren't sprints — they're marathons. "There's going to be like, mile 24, when you're like, 'I quit.' But you just got to push through," she said. "Just push through. There's really nothing that's that insurmountable. I mean, besides abuse and things of that nature... You're going to fundamentally not agree on things. And if you take a breath, you usually can't remember what you're fighting about."

It helps that these two are still "crazy" about each other! Where can we find this kind of love?

After 24 years together, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos might seem like they have marriage figured out. But, as the couple told Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue, that wasn't always the case. In an excerpt from Thomas and Donahue's new book, What Makes a Marriage Last, Consuelos revealed his jealous streak almost got the best of him during the first years of their marriage.

"After we were married, I was doing a show in Boston, and I couldn't get a hold of her all day. We didn't have cell phones then. I got a really bad feeling," Consuelos explained (per People). "So I got on a flight to New York and called her from the plane and asked her what she was doing that night."

Ripa noted Consuelos thought her response sounded fishy — she told him she planned to clean the toilets — so he devised a plan to catch her in a lie. "So he gets home and tells the doorman to call up to the apartment and tell me there's a flower delivery. I'm excited because I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, he's sending me flowers!' Meanwhile, I have a johnny mop in one hand, and I'm wearing a bathrobe," Ripa said.

When Consuelos showed up at her door instead of the flower guy, Ripa was shocked. Consuelos, on the other hand, quickly recognized his mistake. Thankfully, he's "less jealous these days" and trusts his wife implicitly now.

All My Children fans already know Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos met in the '90s during his screen test for the popular daytime drama. However, Ripa sensed he'd become her love interest on-screen and in real life from his headshot alone.

"I was not a hopeless romantic," Ripa told SiriusXM's Bruce Bozzi in 2018 (per People). "I never thought about getting married, it never occurred to me that I would grow old with someone. I just thought I would be living my single girl life in the city and sort of like moving... I had no responsibilities and I was earning a good living on this soap opera... [But] when I saw him, the photograph of him, I saw my entire future with him flash before— like I saw it. And I [didn't] believe in any of that and now I do because of that moment."

Now, however, Ripa believes their marriage "could end at any time," because... they can't hold hands? "We don't have hand-holding compatibility. So, when we hold hands it's very awkward, even in a car," Ripa told PureWow in February 2020. "Because his forearm is so much longer than my forearm, to hold his hand I have to bend it in half. It's an indicator that we're not meant for marriage."

While we must admit this looks mighty uncomfortable, it's probably not grounds for divorce. Plus, we'd be heartbroken if this hilarious pair split!