After making a splash in a high school production of The Ugly Duckling, Ripa took the leap as a dancer on Dance Party USA. Her big break came when she joined the cast of the daytime soap opera All My Children at age 20, in the role of Hayley Vaughan. During this time, Ripa dated her on-screen love interest, Mark Consuelos, and quietly eloped with him a year later. Toward the end of her 12-year run on the show, Ripa became the cohost of the morning talk show Live with Regis and Kelly in 2001. Two years later she landed her own prime-time sitcom, Hope & Faith, playing (what else?) a washed-up soap star. Ripa stayed with Live after Philbin retired in 2011, and new cohost Michael Strahan joined her for Live with Kelly and Michael.