Kelly Ripa Admits She 'Talks About Retirement With Great Interest' After 22 Years of Co-Hosting 'Live'

Kelly Ripa doesn't plan to co-host Live With Kelly and Mark forever!

During a recent interview, the 52-year-old teased her retirement from the hit series she's been hosting since 2001 — though fans don't need to worry just yet.

"I don’t intend to work at this job for the rest of my life," Ripa admitted, noting, "I do talk about retirement with great interest, but right now I’m very happy, especially working with Mark."

The blonde beauty recently started co-hosting the ABC talk show with her husband, Mark Consuelos, back in April after Ryan Seacrest departed from the series to focus on his various other ventures — including his longtime gig as the host of American Idol and upcoming role as the host of Wheel of Fortune following Pat Sajak's retirement.

Now, Ripa has the pleasure of working alongside her handsome husband — whom she couldn't help but gush over during the interview.

"We met almost 30 years ago working together, and we always had a great working relationship. I love Mark more than I can articulate. He’s a proper person. He’s just a gentleman. He knows who he is. He is confident and kind and unassuming and very humble. He is irreverent. He understands the absurdity, and he finds the humor in everything," expressed the mom-of-three, who shares Michael, 26, Lola, 22, and Joaquin, 20, with the Riverdale actor.

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Ripa continued: "Having said that, he’s also a very serious person. He is focused on his family in ways that seem like from another time, and I think that we are a good partnership. We build each other up, and we always have. We are fiercely loyal and extraordinarily protective, and yet we keep each other laughing, at home and at work."

These days, after leaving the Live studio in New York City following their show's broadcast, Ripa and Consuelos return to an empty house.

The couple — who tied the knot in 1996 — officially became empty nesters after their youngest son headed to the University of Michigan for college in 2021.

As for how she feels about an empty home, Ripa explained: "I know that there are women out there who dread it, and I was dreading it, and it is so great. You rediscover each other as a couple. We talk about vacations and where we want to retire. It’s a really exciting time."

The Purist Online interviewed Ripa.