Kelly Ripa has returned to her post at Live with Kelly and Ryan after several missed days of work due to an undisclosed illness. Ryan Seacrest addressed the issue on Monday morning’s show, where he said he was happy to see Ripa back on set after missing the last several shows of last week.
People Magazine reported that Ripa, who rarely misses a day of work except for her scheduled vacation time, came to work on Thursday morning but could not continue with the taping.
“I feel a lot better,” she said to the audience and Seacrest, and then quipped, “rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated.”
Seacrest was genuinely concerned about Ripa, who is always the consummate professional, even coming to work when she is under the weather, reported People Magazine .
“It’s great to see you smiling and looking good and back and healthy. You kept us from you, you didn’t want us to catch anything. You were very considerate. … You were missed!” Seacrest said.
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Fans were stunned when, on September 19, Seacrest told the studio audience and viewers that Ripa had to take the day off, stating that the long-running daytime host was in the building but had to be sent home due to being ill. The show continued with guests Taraji P. Henson and Iain Armitage. At one point, the host joked to the audience that he would give them their money back for coming but couldn’t since they “got there for free,” referring to the ticket lottery fans of the show enter to score tickets to a taping of the morning talk series.
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As usual, Ripa spoke of her illness with a wink and a nod. She revealed that her staff thought she didn’t look well that fateful Thursday, but in her mind, she felt she would be okay to continue with work.
“You know when you walk into a room and everyone backs out of the room?” she asked the audience. “I was that person.”
She told Seacrest she went to see a doctor, and while she was there getting medical attention, had hoped to watch him hosting solo to see if he could “try to get through host chat without me to talk to,” but that the room only had one channel. So she found herself watching a British nature documentary series called Blue Planet instead.
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She reportedly also stated that she had to have an IV, likely to give the talk show host needed fluids, although Ripa did not elaborate as to why she had to have an IV in the first place. The mother of three children — Michael, Lola, and Joaquin — and wife of Riverdale star Mark Consuelos, then got to the business at hand, which was hosting her beloved show, of which she is also an executive producer.
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The Inquisitr recently reported that Ripa flaunted her killer legs in a tight dress for her return to the show, driving Instagram fans wild.
Live with Kelly and Ryan airs daily in syndication.