It’s a difficult time for Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos coming out of spring break.
Upon their return to New York City and LIVE with Kelly and Mark on Monday, April 6, Mark, 55, shared with the studio audience that his father Saul Consuelos had passed away in March.
“Two weeks ago today, my father passed away after a long bout with an illness. He passed away peacefully,” he told the crowd, with Kelly, also 55, leaning over to support him.
“Such a fascinating man,” Mark continued, with Kelly choking up as she elaborated on how loving and intellectual her father-in-law was, calling her husband “lucky” to have him for all of his life while she only knew him for 31 of those years.
“But they were the best 31 years of my life,” she continued. “I can honestly say I will miss him every day for the rest of my life, as I know you will, as our children will. He was the greatest person I’ve ever known. He really is so symbolic of everything you are.”
Kelly especially noted that it had hit their three children quite hard. The All My Children alums share sons Michael and Joaquin, and daughter Lola, with the mom-of-three acknowledging that their kids were lucky to still have three of their grandparents in their lives, while she was left without any by age eight.
© Getty ImagesMark recalled some of the “lectures” he’d get from his dad, including anecdotes like: “I used to make a joke about my dad, if you asked him what time it was, he’d tell you how to build a watch.”
The Riverdale star opened up about his father’s past, calling him a “prime example” of an immigrant in the United States and “what this country promises people,” adding: “He came here from Mexico in his early teens.”
“He immigrated here from Mexico, he served his country for 30 years. Ended up in special ops command in Tampa. This young kid from Mexico just got his education through the Navy, was always going to school,” he continued. “And he loved this country so much.”
© Getty ImagesMark noted that now it was time for him and his siblings to “take care” of their mother Camilla Consuelos, explaining that he was trying to convince her to move to New York and even jokingly proposed a “Cooking with Camilla” segment on LIVE to their producer Michael Gelman sitting off-screen.
The actor further mentioned that he was grateful to be able to go home and say goodbye to his father, with the death occurring while he was in rehearsals for his play Fallen Angels, currently playing on Broadway.
He called the production a “welcome distraction” and something that allowed him to focus his energy elsewhere instead of just grieving. “I knew I had to keep on going, especially during that time. It’s been great. I had such a good time doing it. I know he’s there watching and he’s able to be part of that.”
© Kelly Ripa/LIVE with Kelly and MarkKelly emotionally closed the segment out by saying to her husband: “You’re the strongest person I know, you continually inspire me every day. And all of the good things that I love about you, I loved those same things about your dad.”
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