Born October 2, 1970 in Berlin, New Jersey Ripa grew up dazzled by the lights of New York City. The oldest daughter of a bus driver, Joe, and a homemaker, Esther, in New Jersey, Ripa and her sister, Linda, began taking ballet and piano lessons at an early age. They visited Manhattan frequently to see professional shows and explore the culture of the big city. The young girl dreamed of the day when she would live in and make her mark on the Big Apple. After graduating from high school, Ripa enrolled in community college, but during the first week of school she auditioned for ABC's "All My Children." Although she was competing against several other actresses with more experience, she won a role on the soap. In 1990, she moved to New York City to play teen wild child Hayley Vaughan on the hit soap opera. The TV gig was a wonderful professional experience for Ripa, but it also set the stage for love. In 1996, the actress married her co-star Mark Consuelos; a year later, the couple had their first child, Michael Joseph Consuelos.

While Ripa navigated her career, marriage and motherhood successfully, she couldn't have been prepared for the changes that would occur in the new millennium. After several appearances as a guest host on Regis Philbin's morning show, Ripa was offered the co-host seat that had been vacated by Kathie Lee Gifford. When Ripa accepted the job in February 2001, she was five months pregnant with her second child, Lola Grace Consuelos. Ripa kept her job at "All My Children" and began her career as Regis's sidekick. In her first months on the "Live With Regis and Kelly," she shared private information about her pregnancy and life with the show's large television audience. They adored her instantly. The program's ratings have gone up, and the job has catapulted Ripa into national superstardom. Viewers can relate to Ripa because she's a shining example of a contemporary working mother. She holds down two jobs, maintains a great relationship with her husband, and is the mother of three young children. Ripa gave birth to her third child Joaquin Antonio on February 24, 2003. Now that she's an old pro at juggling two jobs in addition to her family, Ripa has filled the gap where her part on "All My Children" used to be: She has an upcoming role on the 2003 sitcom "Hope & Faith." This series has Ripa playing a sexy ex-soap star it doesn't get any more perfect than that for this actress.