Mark Consuelos regrets not asking Kelly Ripa’s dad for his blessing before proposing to his now-wife.
The “Live with Kelly and Mark” co-hosts reflected on Consuelos getting down on bended knee in 1996 after analyzing a survey that found “half of Americans” would propose differently.
“I would change one thing,” the actor admitted Tuesday. “One thing I would change about the whole thing is, I wish I would’ve called your dad.”
The actress, 54, sighed and said her father, Joe Ripa, “still talks about it to this day.”
“Really?” Consuelos, 53, asked, to which Kelly replied, “Yeah.”
The “Riverdale” alum reminded viewers that he proposed to his former “All My Children” co-star right before they jetted off to Las Vegas to elope.
“Because we eloped, that would’ve thrown the whole elopement off, because I’m sure he would’ve talked us out of it,” Consuelos explained of Joe, which Kelly agreed with.
She theorized that most of their family members “would’ve talked [them] out of it,” but shared that her mother-in-law, Camilla Consuelos, was “the only one” who was “on board” with the idea.
“I still should’ve called your dad,” Mark reiterated.
Kelly shook off the regret and assured her spouse that her dad is “over it.”
Mark recalled asking for his fellow soap star’s hand in marriage while at his apartment in downtown New York City. He joked that his proposal was similar to the one in the 1979 film “Rocky II” when Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) proposed to Adrian (Talia Shire) and mimicked it by saying, “I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind marrying me so much?”
“It was great, loved it,” Kelly raved. “I stand by our whole thing. It stuck!”
When asked what she would “grade” the proposal, Kelly happily gave it an “A++.”
The couple began dating after meeting at a screen test for “All My Children” and later starring as love interests in the ABC series.
They eloped on May 1, 1996, and have been together ever since. They rang in their 28th wedding anniversary this year by visiting the same Chapel of the Bells where they said “I do” nearly three decades prior.