Kelly Ripa Husband Co-Host: Mark Consuelos Declines 'Live!'
Kelly Ripa has stated that she does not want her husband Mark Consuelos to be her co-host on "Live! With Kelly" because she wants to preserve her marriage.
"No one would make me happier than Mark, but he values our marriage and he says that he doesn't see how we could stay married and both do that show," Ripa explained to Vanity Fair in the June 2012 issue.
Ripa, as well as "Live" television producers have been seeking a new co-host for the show since Regis Philbin left last November.
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Consuelos has appeared on the show several times alongside his wife, who began co-hosting a year after Kathy Lee Gifford left "Live!" in 2000.
When Ripa officially joined the show, Philbin had been hosting the program solo while rotating numerous co-hosts appeared. Simiarly, Ripa is hosting "Live!" solo while the network searches for a new co-host.
In the past months, Ripa has been joined by guest hosts such as "Saturday Night Live's" Seth Meyers, comedian D.L. Hughley, actor Jerry O'Connell, singer Josh Groban, as well as Consuelos, among many others.
"I've been through it from the other side," Ripa told the Associated Press of finding a new co-host. "I sort of understand how it works, and what it is they're looking for, and how this process can't be rushed."
Despite their onscreen chemistry, Consuelos will not assume a permanent position beside Ripa on the show.
The couple married in 1996 and share three children together, but both take independence in their relationship very seriously.
"I don't give him a hard time about seeing his friends, or for doing things independently, like taking a weekend biking trip with his racing friends," explained Ripa speaking to Good Housekeeping in March. "He doesn't need to take me everywhere or do everything with me. I'm very much about us having our own separate time."
While both Consuelos and Ripa take time to be alone, they also make a point to spend time together.
"We either talk about the day or watch one of our favorite TV shows," Ripa divulged. "Otherwise, there'd be no time."
