Even Hollywood’s hottest couples have their quirks. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos may seem like they have the perfect romance — but there’s one thing that doesn’t quite click.
The Riverdale actor, 50, filled in for Ryan Seacrest during the Monday, March 7, episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan, joining his wife, 51, on the daytime hit. At the top of the show, Ripa teased, “We just tried something we never do at home but for some reason, we tried it backstage: holding hands. Which, as you know, we are arm length incompatible.”
The former soap opera star continued: “For those of you just tuning in, Mark’s arms are — you know how they say that you hold out your arms and your wingspan is the length of your body? Mark’s arms are four inches longer than the length of his body, and interesting, [mine] are four inches shorter.”
Ripa and her husband, who tied the knot in 1996, went on to give the audience a demonstration of how they attempt to hold hands, showcasing the major difference in the length of their limbs. The pair then increased the distance between them so that they could clasp their hands together.
“Not kidding. That’s how we walk and hold hands,” Ripa added as she and the All My Children alum stood several feet apart. “You know, in New York, people are like, ‘Yeah, take up the whole sidewalk!’ And I go, ‘Have you seen our arms? Shut it! Go around us!'”
Elsewhere in the episode, the couple brought up their three children — Michael, 24, Lola, 20, and Joaquin, 19 — who often get “very grossed out” by their parents. “They’re sickened by us,” the talk show host joked. “And I’m not sure why that is. But they are disgusted by our eating. They make fun of my eating a lot.”
Consuelos shed more light on his wife’s bizarre habit, revealing that she sometimes opts not to use utensils while eating. “[You] put the plate in front of me and then you’ll go in and grab it and then you stick all three fingers — the tips of all three fingers — into your mouth,” he explained.
The Hope & Faith alum laughed as Consuelos continued: “If it’s a piece of cake and there’s a little slice, you’ll grab a little not to have the whole piece. But you go in with the three fingers. I’m surprised you weren’t nursed with the first three fingers of someone’s hand!”
For more than 20 years, the Spain native and Ripa have been each other’s No. 1 fans — despite their flaws. While celebrating the New Jersey native’s birthday in October 2021, Consuelos gushed over his “best friend, lover [and] confidant.”
He wrote via Instagram at the time: “My dance partner in life … My forever girl. For all the important days we’ve missed being together over many years, I’m so grateful to spend this special day with you. I love you, Happy Birthday amore, M.”
The former Kingdom star also surprised Ripa on her talk show in honor of her big day, bringing a two-tiered cake and a bouquet of flowers to the set. Ripa exclaimed on air, “Oh, my gosh! My favorite. Oh, thank you, honey. Thank you!”
