Kelly Ripa life and biography

Kelly Ripa is an American television host and actress. Since February 2001, she has served as the co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly, along with Regis Philbin.

The daughter of a bus driver and labor union president, Ripa began studying ballet at the age of three and appeared as a dancer on Dance Party USA when she was 19.

Ripa attended Camden Community College in New Jersey where she performed in local theater productions before landing the role of Hayley Santos on the ABC daytime drama All My Children in 1991. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role in both 1993 and 1999.

In February 2001, Ripa joined co-host Regis Philbin for ABC's morning talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, replacing longtime co-host Kathie Lee Gifford. Ripa's endearing personality and upbeat sense of humor proved to be the ideal foil for Philbin's curmudgeonly style of entertainment. She continued to appear periodically on All My Children alongside husband and co-star Mark Consuelos; in 2002, she left the show.

Ripa and Consuelos live in New Jersey with their children, Michael Joseph, Lola Grace and Joaquin.

In mid-2003, the peppy Ripa signed for another popular small-screen gig, albeit in a completely different venue: she and Faith Ford (Murphy Brown) played reunited sisters -- Ripa one of the glitterati, Ford a low-key suburban wife and mother -- on the situation comedy Hope & Faith. The program debuted that fall and lasted for three seasons. Ripa guest-hosted Saturday Night Live in November 2003; she and Regis are also frequent guests on Late Night with David Letterman. In addition to small-screen work, Ripa's resumé includes a bit part in the Muppet specials Sesame Street: Elmo's World -- Happy Holidays! and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, as well as the Steve Martin comedy remake Cheaper by the Dozen (2003).

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