Kelly Ripa has been at the forefront of the Live! syndicated morning talk show. Ripa, 52, recently made waves when she discussed retirement, a statement that came not long after her husband Mark Consuelos joined her as co-host of Live! with Kelly and Mark.
However, Consuelos has come forward to further clarify Ripa’s view on retiring and her plans for the future. Ripa and Consuelos have been married for 27 years and actually met on TV, making showbiz a lifelong third companion in their union. Although retirement is somewhere in Ripa’s plans for the future, there’s a little more to it than that.
Kelly Ripa discusses retirement
Back in August, Ripa sat down for an interview with Cristina Cuomo of wellness outlet The Purist. There, Ripa admitted to looking at retirement “with great interest.” She further elaborated, “I think the risk-averse quality I have is probably the reason I stayed with the same job for so long.”
RELATED: 52-Year-Old Kelly Ripa Is ‘Always Thinking About Retiring”
She continued, “Other offers come along, but I like to stick with what I know. I am very steadfast in everything I do, and so when you have me, you have me for life. Having said that, I don’t intend to work at this job for the rest of my life. I do talk about retirement with great interest, but right now I’m very happy, especially working with Mark.”
Mark Consuelos sheds further light on retirement plans from Ripa
Still, to be looking at retiring with some significant amount of interest might imply some big changes in the near future. “I think it’s a real thing,” Consuelos confirmed, speaking with Nischelle Turner from ET. “She’s been at that for 23 years.”
However, he added, “I don’t think it’s gonna be anytime soon. I know she’s having a good time, I’m having a really, really good time. But at some point, yeah.” As far as he’s concerned, “When she does decide to walk away, no one’s earned it more than her.” After all, “She’s been working her butt off since she was like 12 or 13 years old, and she got into the business at 18, and so it’s been a long ride.”
Consuelos is not shy about expressing his excitement since joining Live! “I love the show because I know it’s always going to be fun,” Consuelos has gushed. “I know that she’s not going to let me fail. She has chemistry with everybody, and I feel supported — and I think she feels the same way with me next to her.”
Consuelos “thinks” so because he is often the first and most vocal when it comes to praising Ripa, saying, “Listen, I married way above my station. I’m the luckiest guy, I found her and I’m like ‘I’m hanging on for dear life.'” So, it sounds like he’ll be holding on for some time longer!
