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Ripa in 2009, Miro Vrlik Photography LLC / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Kelly Maria Ripa
Place of Birth: Stratford, New Jersey, U.S.
Date of Birth: October 2, 1970
Ethnicity: *75% Italian *25% Irish
Kelly Ripa is an American actress, dancer, talk show host, and television producer. She has hosted or co-hosted the show Live! with Kelly and Ryan , under various titles, since 2001. She played Hayley Vaughan Santos for twelve years on the soap opera All My Children , and Faith Fairfield on Hope & Faith , both series on ABC.
Kelly is the daughter of Esther A. (Reilly) and Joseph R. Ripa. Kelly is married to actor Mark Consuelos , with whom she has three children.
Her Italian roots are in Calabria, Marche, and Abruzzo.
Kelly’s paternal grandfather was named Giuseppe Ripa/Joseph (the son of Elpidio Ripa). Giuseppe was born in San Elpidio (now Sant’Elpidio a Mare), Province of Fermo, Marche, Italy.
Kelly’s paternal grandmother was named Maria. Maria was Italian.
Kelly’s maternal grandfather was named Paul Reilly.
Kelly’s maternal grandmother was Esther A. DiPretoro (the daughter of Palmerino DiPretoro and Mary Laurogna). Esther was born in Pennsylvania, to Italian parents, from Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy.
A DNA test whose results Kelly displayed in an Ancestry.com commercial stated that Kelly’s genetic ancestry is:
*74% Italian
*74% Italian
Kelly has said :
…when Ancestry approached me, I was like ‘I already know what I am. I already know.’ And they were like, ‘Well, don’t be so sure.’ I found out all this stuff… seeing how my dad’s side of the family and my mom’s side… all sort of migrated around the same time… from different parts of Italy. So it was, to me, very fascinating and very interesting. And once you start really finding out about yourself, it really does explain a lot. I found out I’m the tiniest percent Greek. And I love Greece. I always feel a connection there, and I don’t know why. I never understood that, and now I’m like, ‘Maybe it’s because I’m Greek, who knew?’
…when Ancestry approached me, I was like ‘I already know what I am. I already know.’ And they were like, ‘Well, don’t be so sure.’ I found out all this stuff… seeing how my dad’s side of the family and my mom’s side… all sort of migrated around the same time… from different parts of Italy. So it was, to me, very fascinating and very interesting. And once you start really finding out about yourself, it really does explain a lot. I found out I’m the tiniest percent Greek. And I love Greece. I always feel a connection there, and I don’t know why. I never understood that, and now I’m like, ‘Maybe it’s because I’m Greek, who knew?’
Ripa with husband Mark Consuelos in 2009, photo by Miro Vrlik Photography LLC / Shutterstock.com
Sources: Genealogy of Kelly Ripa (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Kelly’s maternal grandmother, Esther A. DiPretoro, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org