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A pert, petite blonde actress who carved a niche as one of TV's soap opera heroines on ABC's "All My Children", Kelly Ripa exhibited another, lighter side when she made guest appearances as co-host of the syndicated "Live with Regis" following the departure of Kathie Lee Gifford. Almost from the outset, her bubbly personality meshed well with the slightly curmudgeonly Philbin, making her the front runner for the job of permanent co-star on the show. Although there were other potential candidates, the New Jersey native finally won the spot in February 2001.
The older of two children of a bus driver and a housewife, Ripa began performing in local amateur theater as a teenager. She was briefly featured as a dancer on "Dance Party USA" in the late 1980s before she auditioned for her breakthrough role as Hayley Vaughn on "All My Children". Debuting in 1990, Ripa proved an effective and affecting performer, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1993 as well as finding an off-screen companion in her on-screen love interest, actor Mark Consuelos. (The pair eloped to Las Vegas in 1996). Like many in the daytime industry, Ripa was able to moonlight, briefly hosting the syndicated "Music Scoupe" in 1994 and playing a soap opera actress in the show-within-the-movie in "Marvin's Room" (1996). In 1999, she had her first leading role in the independent, festival-screened comedy-drama "The Stand-In". After proving herself in nine appearances as a guest co-host, Ripa landed the permanent gig of co-host with Philbin of "Live with Regis and Kelly". With two years left on her contract with the ABC serial and in the middle of a high profile story line (not to mention expecting her second child), Ripa was expected to pull double duty for the foreseeable future.
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