Kelly Maria Ripa (born October 2, 1970) an American Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress, television personality and talk show host. Since February 2001[2], she has served as the co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly.

Earlier in her career, Ripa played Hayley Vaughan Santos on All My Children; She also played Faith Fairfield on Hope & Faith, both television series on ABC.

While attending Eastern High School in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, Ripa began acting in high school plays.[citation needed] This led to roles at local theaters and a regular spot on the USA Network's Dance Party USA – an afternoon teen music program.

She was then cast as gothic teen turned suffering heroine Hayley Vaughan on the soap opera All My Children. Starting on the show in 1990, the character of Hayley quickly drew a large following.[citation needed] While she was selected to work alongside Regis Philbin for the long-running talk show, Live, Ripa was on double duty, but the following year in 2002, Ripa left All My Children.

In September 2003, Ripa was back on double duty when she co-starred (with Faith Ford) on Hope & Faith, a situation comedy. She portrayed Faith Fairfield, a former soap star whose character is killed off and who moves in with (and subsequently wreaks havoc on) her sister Hope's family. Hope & Faith survived for three seasons before a ratings decline led to its cancellation.

In June 2004, Ripa agreed to continue as Live co-host for at least five more years, at a salary that the tabloid television show Extra reported was $8 million/year.[2]

In October 2006, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos, also a actor, were partnering with producers from Hope & Faith on a sitcom for The CW Television Network that would be loosely based on the couple's experiences as soap opera actors.[3]

In April 2007, Ripa hosted the 2007 TV Land Awards.[4]

In May 2007, Ripa stated that she most likely is done with acting for the time being.