Soap Stars Who Dated: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Justin Hartley and Chrishell Stause and More

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Soap Stars Who Dated: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Justin Hartley and Chrishell Stause and More

Love on — and off — screen. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Vincent Van Patten and Eileen Davidson and more celebrity couples fell in love on the set of soap operas. “I auditioned him,” Ripa recalled during a SiriusXM interview in August 2018 about meeting her now-husband. “They’d been looking for this character for some time … They didn’t want a dark-haired guy, they wanted a Latino actor. So I had auditioned every Latino actor in the city and around the city and then California. Then all of a sudden, Judy Blye Wilson, who was the casting director in All My Children, said, ‘I found him’ … [Judy] showed me his picture and … when I saw him, the photograph of him, I saw my entire future with him flash before [my eyes]. Like, I saw it. I [didn’t] believe in any of that and now I do because of that moment.” Ripa and Consuelos played onscreen couple Hayley Vaughan and Mateo Santos on All My Children for several years before exiting in 2001. The Riverdale star previously described their connection as instant during a joint interview with the Live With Kelly and Ryan cohost in 1996. “Before we ever had a scene together. We’ve been spending 12 hours a day together for the past year and a half,” Consuelos told Soap Opera Digest at the time. [jwplayer GxhufCuq-l3ahXupL] Ripa added, “We just understood each other really well. If two people were ever supposed to be together, I’d say it was us.” The twosome, who eloped in Las Vegas in May 1996, share three kids: Michael, Lola and Joaquin. Van Patten and Davidson’s love story, meanwhile, sounds more like a soap opera story line. When the retired tennis pro met the actress on the set of The Young and the Restless in 2000, they were both married to other people. Their origin story came up during season 6 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. “I knew he was married and I was married and I was totally respectful of that … but whatever. So, he and I, we had a friendship for a long time,” Davidson said in a January 2016 episode of the Bravo show. “We just kind of fell in love. I told my husband at the time, ‘We have a situation here. I am having feelings for somebody’ … I separated from my husband. I was like, ‘This isn’t good. We’ve got to separate.’” Van Patten and Davidson wed in 2003. Scroll through for a list of other real-life soap opera couples:

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Jack Wagner and Kristina Wagner

The soap stars tied the knot in 1993 after meeting on the set of General Hospital. The pair were married for 13 years before calling it quits in 2006 and share sons Peter and Harrison. Tragically, their younger son, Harrison, was found dead in June 2022, following a battle with addiction.

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Courtney Hope and Chad Duell

The Young and the Restless actress and General Hospital actor announced their engagement on Valentine’s Day in February 2021.

“Yesterday was a good day ☺️💍 .... Forever with this man is a dream come true 😍🙏🏼❤️ @duelly #umHellYes,” Hope captioned a selfie showing off her new bling, which didn’t include a traditional diamond, via Instagram.

Andrew Brown, CEO of WP Diamonds, spoke to Us about the unique ring at the time: "Following the recent trend of unique settings, Courtney's beautiful engagement ring comprises of a 3-carat princess-cut blue sapphire set at an angle, with the diamond band tracing the point of the princess cut to form an arrow. The estimated retail pricing would be approximately $7,000-8,000."

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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos

The former All My Children stars celebrated 24 years of marriage in May 2020. “Making a life, sharing a history, holding you close for 24 years,” Consuelos wrote on Instagram at the time. “I love you @kellyripa.”

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Vincent Van Patten and Eileen Davidson

Davidson and Van Pattern, who share son Jesse, commemorated their 17th wedding anniversary in April 2020.

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Justin Hartley and Chrishell Stause

Hartley and Stause met while they were regulars on The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives, respectively. While they tied the knot in 2017, the This Is Us star filed for divorce in November 2019. Stause admitted in the trailer for the third season of Selling Sunset that she was blindsided by the split.

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Justin Hartley and Sofia Pernas

After his breakup with Stause, Hartley moved on with his former Young and the Restless. Us Weekly broke the news of their romance in May 2020. Weeks after Pernas left the CBS soap in 2016, Stause had a 10-episode arc on Y&R.

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Brandon Barash and Kirsten Storms

News broke that the General Hospital costars were dating in 2013. After secretly exchanging vows later that year, they welcomed daughter Harper in January 2014. While the duo called it quits in 2016, they have remained on good terms.

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Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes

After working together on Days of Our Lives in the early ‘70s, the twosome wed in 1974.

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Kassie Depaiva and James DePaiva

The One Life of Live stars, who met in the ‘90s, wed in 1996. They share son James.

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True O'Brien and Casey Moss

The Days of Our Lives actors started playing love interests in 2014. While O’Brien’s Paige is no longer on the show, the pair have been dating since 2015.

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Michael Saucedo and Rebecca Herbst

The General Hospital costars tied the knot in 2001. They share three kids: Ethan, Ella and Emerson.

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Mick Cain and Schae Harrison

Cain and Harrison wed in 2001 after meeting on the set of The Bold and the Beautiful. They share son Haven.

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Crystal Chappell and Michael Sabatino

Life imitated art in the ‘90s when the Days of Our Lives couple started dating offscreen. The pair, who married in 1997, share sons Jacob and Michael.

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Doug Davidson and Cindy Fisher

The longtime Young and the Restless star started dating his costar in the early ‘80s. Davidson and Fisher, who tied the knot in 1984, share daughter Calyssa and son Caden.

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Maura West and Scott DeFreitas

The former As the World Turns costars wed in 2000. They share four kids: Joe, Kate, Birdie and Basil.