Kelly Maria Ripa is known for her acting roles as well as her presenting talents. Ripa played Hayley Vaughan on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children. She co-starred alongside her future husband Mark Consuelos.

In 1996, they eloped with the couple now having three children: Michael Joseph (born June 2, 1997), Lola Grace (born June 16, 2001), and Joaquin Antonio (born February 24, 2003). Since 2001, Ripa has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show Live! with Kelly and Ryan in various formats.

Related: Here’s How Much Kelly Ripa Earns For Hosting ‘Live! With Kelly And Ryan’

After Kathie Lee Gifford's final show on Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, her co-host Regis Philbin began holding on-air auditions to find her replacement. Audiences fell in love with Philbin's ease and rapport with Kelly Ripa. In January 2011, Philbin, 80, announced that he would be retiring from Live! His final show aired Friday, November 18, 2011. A tearful Ripa tearfully reminisced about her first day with the legendary host.

Ripa shared that they walked 43 steps from her dressing room onto set each day for 11 years, and how those 43 steps changed her life. "Thank you for everything! It's been just great my Pippa," Philbin told her in an embrace. Ripa responded, "Thank you for everything. I love you." "I love you, too," said Philbin.

Ripa replaced Philbin as the head of the show and returned the following Monday, November 21, 2011, to continue the show, which was re-titled Live! with Kelly. After an on-air search similar to hers, Michael Strahan was announced as the new co-host. The pair worked side by side for four years between 2012 and 2016.

Ripa admitted that she was left "blindsided" after Strahan revealed that he would be leaving the show to join Good Morning America. The controversy almost made Ripa leave the show herself...

Kelly Ripa Was Reportedly Furious That She Wasn't Told Michael Strahan Was Leaving

Sources tell Page Six that Ripa "was furious" that she was "last to hear" that her co-anchor's Michael Strahan's departure and subsequent promotion. Ripa allegedly refused to take calls from executives at the networks - who she reportedly felt "overshadowed" by in favor of co-anchor Michael Strahan, who joined Good Morning America full time.

After his resignation, Michael Strahan spoke out about his time working with former co-host Kelly Ripa. The former NFL star admitted that he didn’t realize he was supposed to be her “sidekick.”

Related: Kelly Ripa Appeared On Live With Kelly And Michael Without Any Makeup Because Of George Clooney

Strahan made his official debut as co-host on September 4, 2012 - with ratings instantly surging. On April 19, 2016, ABC announced that Strahan would be leaving Live! with Kelly and Michael to begin working full-time on Good Morning America.

He officially departed the show on May 13, three months earlier than originally planned. In an interview with David Marchese in The New York Times, Strahan likened his TV career to his time in the National Football League with the New York Giants.

Strahan said: “But the mental aspect of working in TV is like it was in football. I don’t want to be on the show and feel like everyone else is carrying me. I want us all to be successful. I’ve done things where I went in with team concepts, and I got there and realized it’s not about team. It’s selfish, and I don’t operate well under that. Asked to clarify whether he meant sports or TV were selfish, Strahan replied, “both.” However, “on television, I’ve had jobs where I got there and felt like ‘Wow, I didn’t know I was supposed to be a sidekick. I thought I was coming here to be a partner."

Producers on 'Live With Kelly And Michael' Were Worried She Had Quit The Show

After a four-day absence, an emotional Ripa addressed Strahan's exit from Live With Kelly and Michael in front of a live audience. Ripa’s return marked the end of a tumultuous few days for the show, after ABC announced that Strahan is heading to Good Morning America. Ripa was reportedly “blindsided” by the news and furious with Disney-ABC executives that she only found out about the decision. Ripa reportedly only found out about the massive change before a news release went out to the rest of the world.

Related: Is Ryan Seacrest Making More Than Co-Host Kelly Ripa Per Year?

As a result, Ripa didn’t show up to work the next day. It caused producers, who could not get hold of her, to panic that she had quit the show. Although, Ripa's publicist said her absence were due to a previously scheduled vacation.

Speaking when she returned, Ripa said she was "thrilled" for her former co-host but that the controversy had sparked a deeper conversation about "communication, consideration, and respect in the workplace."

Addressing her absence from the show, and speculation she quit, Ripa said: "I needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts." The former soap star said that she "gained some perspective" and that what had transpired during the course of these days was "extraordinary."

Kelly Ripa's Daughter Asked Her Why She Didn't Quit

Kelly Ripa's has opened up about her daughter Lola's reaction to reading in her debut book, Live Wire. The TV star's book features a number of stories and anecdotes from her incredible career. Ripa has been working on the ABC daytime show since 2000, working with the late Regis Philbin, followed by Michael Strahan and as of 2017, Ryan Seacrest.

Talking to Daily Mail, Kelly said: "My daughter really said 'Why? Why didn't you quit?' And I said to her, 'Because we don't quit when things get tough. [Most] people don't have the option to quit when things get tough and that's not how I was raised."

She continued: "That's not how I'm raising you. We don't quit just because things are hard, because things don't feel good.'" The mom-of-three added: "That's what work is. That's why they don't call it vacation. I don't say I'm going to my vacation. I say I'm going to my job."