I had somehow forgotten about this when Ripa and I recently
chatted. We were talking about
Montreal, her favorite romantic
getaway and a place that she and her husband, fellow
All My Children alum Mark Consuelos,
visit nearly every year sans the kids (Michael, 10; Lola, 6;
and Joaquin, 4). But then, exactly 10 minutes and 34 seconds
into our conversation, Ripa reminds me that she keeps few
secrets from the public. "One of our children was conceived
in Montreal, actually," she says, quite unprompted. "Mark and
I went for our anniversary one year, and Joaquin was our
souvenir."
This is one of those things that we - okay, maybe it's just me -
actually don't want to know. Or maybe it's just something that we -
or again, maybe it's just me - don't know how to react to. Regis
would likely come up with something witty or wacky to say in reply.
The best I can do is, "Oh, so Joaquin came right out speaking
French, eh?" I am no
Regis.
Thankfully, since Ripa talks for a living, she bails me out.
"That's why we gave Joaquin the exotic name," she says. "I was
going to name him
Jean Pierre. But I thought that was too much.
Jean Pierre Consuelos doesn't really go together."
Jean Pierre. It's probably just a joke. But still, I hadn't heard
that before. It's funny - and, sure, fascinating.
You know what else is fascinating? Montreal. Especially Kelly
Ripa's Montreal. Here are the things you do want to know about.