Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Show the Unique Way They Hold Hands: We're 'Arm Length Incompatible'

On Monday's episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos explained the way in which they have to hold hands because of their differing arm lengths

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Published on March 7, 2022 12:33 PM

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have found a way to make their differences work.

On Monday's episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, Ripa and Consuelos — who was guest co-hosting in Ryan Seacrest's absence — opened up about the unique way they have to hold each other's hands.

"We just tried someone thing we never do at home but for some reason, we tried it backstage: holding hands. Which, as you know, we are arm length incompatible," said Ripa, 51.

"For those of you just tuning in, Mark's arms are — you know how they say that you hold out your arms and your wingspan is the length of your body? Mark's arms are 4 inches longer than the length of his body and interesting, [mine] are 4 inches shorter," she continued. "But when we try to hold hands … you want to show everybody what happens when we try to hold hands?"

Responding to his longtime love, the 50-year-old Riverdale alum happily obliged: "Sure, why not."

The two then stood side-by-side, showing the dramatic difference in the lengths of their arms. The two then demonstrated how they manage to lock hands despite the large gap between them.

"So we have to hold hands like this," said Consuelos, as the two grabbed hands while standing several feet apart.

"Not kidding. That's how we walk and hold hands," Ripa added. "You know, in New York, people are like, 'Yeah, take up the whole sidewalk!' And I go, 'Have you seen our arms? Shut it! Go around us!'"

Ripa and Consuelos met on the set of All My Children, where they played love interests, Hayley and Mateo. They later developed a real-life romance of their own and eloped in 1996.

Now, Ripa and Consuelos have been together for 25 years. They also share daughter Lola, 20, and sons Michael, 24, and Joaquin, 18.

Previously, the two stars said they consider their decades-long marriage to be "almost old-fashioned."

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"What's funny is I think of us as such a progressive as a couple. I always think of us as politically progressive … we're progressive people," she said on the Double Date podcast last April. "And yet, when it comes to our own family and our marriage and our roles, I think of us as very traditional and almost old-fashioned in our roles."

Consuelos said that Ripa "makes the home a home."

The pair's eldest child, Michael, once referred to their marriage as "relationship goals."

"They're great, not just in like a relationship sense, but they're great role models," he told Entertainment Tonight last August. "I try to conduct myself the way I think they would."

Updated by

Dave Quinn