Mark Consuelos credits his late father, Saul Consuelos, with giving him relationship advice that helped shape his lasting marriage to Kelly Ripa.
The “Live With Kelly and Mark” host discussed his marriage with Ripa during an appearance on the podcast “I’ve Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDario.” The couple recently celebrated 30 years wed, and Consuelos believes that some sage advice from his dad helped him make the right decision to propose to his former “All My Children” co-star three decades prior.
Mark Consuelos Said His Dad’s Advice Helped Him Realize How Important Kelly Ripa Was
Mark Consuelos shared a memorable piece of advice given to him by his father Saul Consuelos early on his life. He took it to heart when he moved to New York City to pursue acting and find love with his “All My Children” castmate Kelly Ripa.
“One of the great things my dad taught me was, and I’m not sure how we got on this conversation, maybe I was going through a breakup early on in college. He’s like, ‘You know, you gotta find somebody that’s better than you, Mark.'”
Mark added, “He didn’t say marry above your station, but he said, ‘Find somebody who’s gonna pull you up, that’s gonna make you better.’ And I did. I was lucky enough to find somebody like that.”
How Did Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Meet?
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos met during his screen test for the role of “All My Children’s” Mateo Santos. The character was a love interest for Ripa’s character of Hayley Vaughn.
Their characters fell deeply in love despite coming from very different worlds. Hayley’s family often disapproved of the relationship, creating plenty of drama and emotional storylines on the daytime soap opera.
However, “All My Children” viewers quickly became invested in the couple’s romance, and Hayley and Mateo eventually married on the show. Their on-screen chemistry became one of the reasons the pair grew so popular with viewers during the 1990s.
In a cast of life imitating art, Ripa and Consuelos formed an off-screen connection. One year after they met, the couple secretly eloped to Las Vegas in 1996.
Since then, Ripa and Consuelos have become one of Hollywood’s longest-lasting marriages. They created a close-knit family of their own, including sons Michael and Joaquin and daughter Lola Consuelos.
Mark Consuelos Believes Fans Are ‘Invested’ in His Marriage
DisneyAfter 30 years, Mark Consuelos believes that fans are “invested” in the longevity of his marriage to Kelly Ripa.
“They watched us fall in love on a soap, and they saw these two characters, like playing boyfriend and girlfriend like, ‘I knew you guys were in love.’ And like, yeah, we were. We really, really, really, really were,” Mark admitted on his podcast appearance.
He continued, “So I think that they’re invested, super invested in our relationship, and [we’ve] kind of been together on TV from the beginning, and now full circle on a show in the morning. So I don’t know, I think what you see is what you get.”
“Live with Kelly and Mark” airs weekdays on ABC.
