Aurora Starchild
Kelly Ripa (51) and Mark Consuelos (50) have been married for almost 27 years. The talk show host and soap actor are undeniably attracted to each other and consider sex to be an integral part of their marriage. So, when they’re apart, they keep things spicy with FaceTime sex rituals—complete with some intricate videography techniques!
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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Call Their Make-Up Sex “Fantastic”
Ripa was interviewing her husband on the Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast as they addressed the struggles of their marriage and how they’ve worked past them.
“We have ups and downs. Everybody has ups and downs but it’s never just ‘even’ or ‘flat,’ said Ripa. “It’s like a heartbeat. If you’re flatlining then it’s probably dead.”
“I agree with that, although I do like when it’s mellow and I don’t like drama,” said Consuelos. “I would go towards boring any day of the week.”
Hilariously, this seemed to get Ripa’s hackles turned up for a second. “Are you saying I’m boring?” she asked. Her hubby swatted the question away with an emphatic “No” but clarified that he doesn’t need drama for the point of makeup sex. Ideally, for them, they just keep the sex rolling on their good days. But it’s also a part of the bad days — or perhaps the dynamic that transforms a bad day into a good day.
“Although, that is fantastic,” said Consuelos about the makeup sex.
“That is FUN sex,” Ripa agreed.
On her TV show, Live with Kelly and Ryan, Ripa once revealed that she and her husband will often settle their differences with “love and sexy time.”
Of course, when everyone’s happy and things are going well, it’s easy to make time for sex and affection. Kelly Ripa once told Andy Cohen that she and Mark have had sex in a number of unlikely places… including public bathrooms and Cohen’s own house.
Ripa and Consuelos Used Sexy FaceTime Rituals to Keep Their Marriage Alive When Work Forced Them Apart
Like all humans, they admitted to having their character flaws. Ripa’s notoriously hung up on Consuelos when they were arguing over the phone, and he used to be “insanely jealous.” They’ve argued, they’ve made up. But importantly, they’ve put in the time to communicate about healing, about lifting each other up, and preserving their relationship that they hold so dear.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ marriage counselor Linda Carter eventually joined the conversation and asked how they “survived” long periods apart while working. After the first wave of the COVID pandemic, Consuelos had to go to Canada for 10 months. They only saw each other for 2 weeks during that time.
“We’ve never spent that much time apart,” said the Riverdale star.
“How did you survive that separation?” asked Carter. “How did you stay connected?”
It was all about sticking to their rituals, they said.
“We had sexual rituals that were so ludicrous,” said Ripa. “Over FaceTime.”
Kelly Ripa Jerry-Rigged Her Computer So It Could Hang Above Her During Their FaceTime Rituals
Having sexy time over a video meeting is one thing, but it gets better. Kelly Ripa actually went to great lengths to perfect her camera angles. It was mostly because she was feeling insecure.
“I became so alarmed at my appearance over FaceTime that I started rigging the computer to hang from a ladder. I’m not kidding,” Ripa continued. “I hung the computer over a ladder so that I could look up to Mark so that he did not have to see what gravity was actually doing.”
It’s normal to feel insecure about yourself especially as you age. But there’s also a real phenomenon called “selfie distortion.” When we photograph or videotape ourselves from a close proximity, our noses look larger, and our chins look shorter. The end result is a skewed visual representation of our body’s proportions. So, it’s easy to imagine feeling extra shy when you’re showing off more than just your face over a FaceTime video.
“You know, you get really close to yourself in situations where you’re separated from your husband for long periods of time,” said Ripa.
Ripa and Consuelos Also Used Bonding Bracelets to Keep in Touch While Apart
That isn’t the only ritual that the sexy couple used to keep their love alive during those 10 months. They also used a form of wearable technology called “Bond Touch” bracelets. The Bluetooth-enabled bands send signals that can be felt by the wearer.
“So, Mark wears a bracelet; I wear a bracelet,” said Ripa. “And anytime I touch my bracelet, his bracelet in Vancouver would touch him. It would vibrate… So, it would let us know that the other person was thinking about them.”
Mark Consuelos then admitted that it was only recently that he learned the difference between sex and intimacy. He chalked it up to the fact that he traveled so much. Sometimes he’d only have 36 hours at home before he needed to hop on another plane.
“I wanted to get the intimacy in and the sex in. And so, they became one and the same for such a long time,” he said.
Couples Who Spend Time Together with Rituals Are More Likely to Stay Together
Semantics aside, sex and intimacy don’t necessarily have to be put in separate boxes. Dr. Carter explained this as something that is unique to every relationship.
“It’s different for different couples,” she said. “Some people are very sexual. Maintaining that sexual connection becomes very important. The main thing is staying attuned to each other and listening to each other. And empathizing with each other.”
Dr. Carter added that there was an 85-year study about that analyzed personality characteristics in relation to predictors for long-term health and happiness. One of the biggest predictors for successful marriages was when two people made time for each other and actually appreciated that time.
“It’s fascinating to see. But the oldest couples who were in their 80s, they would call these couples every night and say, ‘What did you do today? What felt good? What made you happy?’ And the married couples with the best relationships would say, ‘I spent time with my wife or husband.’”
