Celebrity | Television

Kelly Ripa Confronted Those Plastic Surgery Rumors Head-On

ABC

Believe it or not, Kelly Ripa has been hosting her daytime talk show Live in some form or another since 2001, when she stepped in to replace Kathy Lee Gifford.  

Naturally, that means fans who watch Live every day have seen Ripa (barely) age before their eyes.

If you're a soap opera fan, you can practically say you watched Ripa grow up, because she was a regular on All My Children through the '90s.

All of which brings us to some nasty comments from online trolls, which got a response from Ripa herself.

"You guys do know how to make a girl feel special."

Last week, Ripa shared an adorable throwback photo of her and her husband, Mark Consuelos, along with a modern snap of them together.

The pair have been married for 22 years, and have obviously gone through a few style changes together, which is what the picture was supposed to highlight.

"1999 vs 2009," Ripa captioned it, "before [I] discovered that [I] needed a stylist and had a GOOD side."

Ripa and Conselos met on the set of 'All My Children.'ABC

The most noticeable changes in the photos at first glance are that Conseuelos has traded in his "mom jeans" for a dapper suit, while Ripa has updated her hairstyle.

But some fans insisted they could see a lot more.

"And a new nose," one "fan" of Ripa's commented on her picture. "Bless [your] heart honey baby poor thing."

"Nose job and veneers," said another commenter. "She looks great [though], I'm super jealous."

Ripa, who was spoken on her show about her habit of firing back at online trolls, took exception to these comments.

"I'm gonna tell you right now,"

"No nose job, and no veneers. I wouldn't be sleeping in a retainer every night if I had. You guys do know how to make a girl feel special."

Setting The Record Straight

If you notice any differences between old and new photos of Ripa, the host says it's just because of her makeup and the different angles.

And Consuelos was quick to back up his wife's side of the story.

"I can attest," he commented on the picture. "Same nose. Same veneers."

"Thanks honey," Ripa replied, "I'll wear it for you tonight." (Meaning her retainer.)

Of course, it's no surprise that Consuelos would stand up for his wife. This wasn't the first time he defended Ripa against nasty online body shamers.

After sharing a photo of Ripa at the beach in a bikini earlier this year, Consuelos was upset by comments that she was "too old" for the outfit, and decided to tell his fans.

"I wanted to take a couple of days to weigh in. Probably should've earlier arguably. But I wanted to be above it. Well, now I'm not," Consuelos wrote.

"I posted this pic of the woman I most admire. As a playful tribute to my wife who I'm proud of in endless ways."

"She works extremely hard in her professional life and her commitment to exercise, healthy diet is admirable and the benefits show. Yes she's wearing a bikini at age 47 and will no doubt wear one for many years to come."

Kelly's Beauty Routine

While plastic surgery is not on the table for Ripa, the TV host has talked openly about using Botox. As she bragged to a fan who praised her youthful skin, "you can't beat fresh Bo."

But Ripa also revealed she once suffered a bad Botox reaction that kept her from smiling for months. She explained that the injection "did something to my good side, so I had two bad sides."

So how does Ripa seem to stay the same age year after year? She chalks it up to Spanx, self-tanner ("it [takes off] 10 pounds instantly"), and makeup.

Ripa always wears foundation, concealer, and bronzer before stepping in front of the camera.

She's also a remarkably clean eater. In an average day, Ripa says she enjoys yogurt and granola for breakfast, a salad for lunch, snacks like low-fat Greek yogurt, and a chicken breast with sauteed vegetables for dinner.

"I eat a very clean diet," she told ABC News, "I have lots of vegetables, I eat protein, but I really don't put a ton of thought into it."

"It's everything you've read about or heard about in any diet book "“ don't eat too much crap, and I don't."

While she avoids cheese and high-fat foods, Ripa can't deny that she loves them.

"I would love nothing more than to have pizza and french fries every day, but I try to limit those treats to once a week."

Ripa also follows a low-acid diet called the alkaline diet, but admits to cheating more often than following the rules.

"I like to drink coffee," she said. "I occasionally will have fish. The alkaline diet is primarily a vegan diet, but I like cream in my coffee. I like to have a glass of wine."

Oh, and Ripa also makes time to exercise every day, but chalks up her slim figure mainly to genetics.

Do you watch Live With Kelly & Ryan every day?

[H/T: Women's Health Magazine, Bravo TV, ABC News, People, Good Housekeeping]

Related Articles