Kelly Ripa posted this photo to Instagram with a note about “hump day.” TMI, right? She Mark Consuelos are an exception to the show-business marriage rule. They’ve been married for two decades, which makes me feel old. I remember watching Kelly take over for Kathie Lee Gifford as I procrastinated for some college class. Kelly was pregnant with her first child, Michael. She and Mark have three children now, and she tells Andy Cohen that their marriage is as hot as ever. Do you believe it? I kinda do. The usual alarm bells (that ring for me every time a celebrity brags about their amazing relationship) aren’t going off. Kelly has often spoken of her perfect 1950s marriage and willingness to worship Mark. It works for them. Kelly also says they get busy all the time.
Kelly Ripa’s got it all figured out.
Sure, she might send the accidental [suggestive] pic to her in-laws, but she’s also got the right idea when it comes to maintaining the spark in a relationship.
While she was visiting Watch What Happens Live Monday night, host Andy Cohen divulged something Ripa had told him in private. That is, because she and her husband, actor Mark Consuelos, have been together 18 years, they have to really go the extra mile to keep things interesting.
“I heard you say recently that you must have s*x as much as possible to keep the relationship going,” Cohen said.
“I believe I said that to you,” Ripa interjected. But she let the breach of confidence slide and went on to elaborate: “I fundamentally believe that the more you do it, the more you do it. The less you do it, the less you do it.”
Ripa and husband Consuelos met on the set of All My Children nearly 20 years years ago, so her advice — if seemingly simple — looks like it’s standing the test of time.
[From Watch What Happens Live via People]
Well, I have to give Kelly some credit. Mark Consuelos is super hot and very “hittable.” He’s the kind of hot that would make me stop and stare like an idiot. It’s still hard to maintain chemistry for decades no matter what. Did you hear about that time Kelly accidentally emailed a racy selfie to her in-laws? This happened recently, so I guess she and Mark really do keep that fire burning. All of those breakfasts in bed don’t hurt either.
Photos courtesy of Kelly Ripa on Instagram & WENN
Best advice for a lasting marriage? Don’t give a f*&K about what works for other marriages. Yours is unique.
Thank you! Totally agree.
well said. I know I’m guilty of…well, not JUDGING other people’s marriage…but “judging” in the sense that I’ll side-eye and think “well, if it works for them, I guess…” and then I realize that’s exactly IT.
It works FOR THEM. not necessarily for me or my sister/brother/parents/friends…
I’d hate spending too much time apart from the bf, but I know couples that have the long-distance thing and they PREFER it. it gives them plenty of time for themselves and for friendships that might otherwise wither due to too much time spent coupling. In fact, I read an article years ago about a married w/children couple who live in NYC in separate apartments. She lives in a big one with the kids, and he’s there a LOT…in the AM to see the kids before school, in the PM to have dinner and tuck them in, etc…and he lives in a studio a few blocks away. strange, but it works for them.
I agree. Different strokes for different folks. I know a couple who were both good looking people, married for twenty years and had great sex often, but still got a divorce. The sex part means nothing without other
components
Agree. It’s about needs being met. Everybody doesn’t have the same needs.
What a great response. Loved it and it is very true.
THIS is the number 1 comment in more than one way. Well said.
Um, I think we all see why it’s easy to keep those fires burning. LOOK AT HIM FOR GOD’S SAKE!
My thoughts exactly!
seen him in real life…he is really that good-looking!
I’m jealous. He really is like a fine wine getting better every year.
She’s aged rapidly, hasn’t she?
I think she looks fantastic!
like overtanned milk
They both look wee and like their heads are too big for their bodies. I don’t find him very attractive. Other than that, agree with commenter Nr. 1.
That super-skinny look does not tend to age well. I like her though.
I like her for the most part too. The lack of fat does make her look more harsh. She’s always been quite tiny though, and I think she’s quite strict with herself in that way. A littttle bit more weight in the face would make her look younger, but hell, if she’s happy, good for her. She looks actually healthier in that bottom photo of her holding his arm. I think it’s partially makeup choices.
I know this might not be the case for her, but not everyone can add weight just for looks. I have to eat very strictly to keep my blood pressure and cholesterol at bay (and I’m only 30!), and it caused me to lose a lot of weight. I don’t prefer it- I’m thin naturally anyway and now it’s very thin- but I can’t mess up my heart for vanity.
Really? Shaming someone for aging? Wow.
Preach!
She has to make him feel powerful and in control in other areas because she is the breadwinner in the family by a huge margin.
I wonder about that.. but they seem very happy.
It is very very very rare to have 2 celebrities that are both HUGE and power players and earners. Not many fit that bill in Hollywood.
He’s hot for sure , but her not so much, she needs to eat something. Plus I don’t like her show she’s like able but in small pieces. Her super skinniness really aged her face. Mark is Hot!!
It’s about commitment. There is no big secret.
Love them together, but remember when she was just a chubby actress on All My Children.
What this probably means is that she “services” him constantly, like Jerry Hall “serviced” Mick Jagger for years to keep him from wandering, which he eventually did. You can sense the level of desperation in her TMI. People who are confident in their marriages, don’t need to talk about it.
I don’t know, I hope not. My sense is that the only reason she’s talking about it is because Andy Cohen brought it up. And it makes sense that she’d get questions about her marriage, given its longevity, especially by Hollywood standards. It’s not like she’s doing Leann-style tweets or anything near that desperate.
Is it really so typical for attraction to wane over time? I feel like I have better sex as time goes on because the experiences my husband and I go through together make me appreciate him more, and better emotional intimacy = better sex (for me). We’re all different of course but I’m wondering if the whole “married people don’t have sex” noton is as common as it’s made out to be?
I agree! I dislike the notion that all marriages end up sexless and miserable. That’s not a very positive image for our society.
That’s what I was thinking the whole time. lemon. Your inhibitions lessen and your confidence builds, so if it is a healthy relationship — and the couple are both on the same “sexual sphere” in that their needs are the same — marriage doesn’t have to become this sexless, platonic partnership. I think that notion is perpetuated by media, though, it isn’t indicative of my marriage nor most of my girlfriends.
Long-married couples still have sex. It’s part of life. Part not all. I don’t know any person whose only need is sex. And I agree with others who wisely noted that relationships are about what works for the couple. I was trying to imagine someone declaring rules for my relationships with my girlfriends. It would be ridiculous. I think it’s just as erroneous to tell people that there are specific things that make marriage work. Unless you’re telling them what makes your marriage work. I think people grow emotionally close. They care for and enjoy each other. But that is what makes my relationships work.
I am a big fan of Kelly.Kelly was pregnant with Lola,not Michael when she took over for Kathie Lee.Michael was already 3 years old when she got the job.
I love her too! My baby wakes up at 8:30 so we watch Kelly and Michael with a morning bottle. Kelly is so fun.
She’s right. She’s not telling anyone this, like some article telling women her huge secret, like Gwyneth Paltrow. She told it to Andy, a friend, in private conversation probably in a joking manner when he asked her how they’ve lasted, and he spilled it on WWHL. And she just went with it on the show and expressed her philosophy. I do agree with her.
I never think she acts like they have a perfect marriage, just a really good marriage that is tight. Unlike other stars who never seem to say a joking critical thing about their spouse, Kelly will joke all the time about Mark, that she didn’t see him all night because he’s playing some game (I can’t remember the name) on the computer. She will make fun of their marriage, something that irritates him or irritates her, joking about being a mother, etc. and he the same. I just don’t see her ever painting some perfect picture of home life or perfect children, more like a normal, often chaotic home life. But you can see the love between them and see they still have tons of chemistry with each other. It’s mutual.
Kelly is NOT guilty of this, but can I share a pet peeve? I hate when people/articles/whatever go on and on about how a sex life is the be all and end all of marriage. I feel like there are so many things in a marriage that are so much more important than sex. I hate how society seems to think that’s the glue that holds marriages together…it’s not. I know people that have had medical issues that have caused them to need to abstain from any intimacy for several months at a time. That doesn’t mean their marriage is any less solid. A marriage is about love and kindness and so much more.
ANyway, just a rant!
I think she is saying these things because I recently read that they were having trouble. So of course she has to do the TMI thing. I am fully expecting a separation announcement by the end of 2015. Hope not, because I think they are good together, but it just seems too forced now.
yep
heading down the big D path i heard
The chemistry can be felt on those pictures. Once in an interview Mark said, when asked, that what he likes the most ab Kelly is her sense of humor and her idea of find him sexy (I do find u sexy too Mark!). I think, if something, their marriage is stronger than ever. I truly hope so 🙂
My aunt’s best friend’s daughter was her best friend for ages until he got jealous of their friendship and forced them to break up. The stories I heard were so sad. He an insane control freak and a liar! And he cheats on her like crazy! He insults her to her face and she just takes it, he denigrates her in front of her friends! So tragic 🙁
A wise man once said, “There are two kinds of people in the world; those who are getting it, and those who talk about it all the time.
Been with my husband 24 years. There’s more than one “secret” to a happy, lasting marriage.
I find her so silly and endearing.
I find her very controlling on her show and not funny at all.