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Kelly Ripa ‘goes in hard’ on Mark Conseulos who looks ‘self-diminished’ over her gesture in first Live show, says expert
KELLY Ripa isn't interested in calming Mark Consuelo's nerves as the couple's new Live show gets underway, a body language expert has said.
But she claims the veteran daytime TV host would have picked up on her husband's "new boy on the block" and "rigid" demeanor on day one.
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Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos ushered in their much-anticipated new show, "Live with Kelly and Mark,” on April 17.
The pair got stuck into co-hosting their new ABC chat show watched by millions, including family members like their daughter, Lola, 21.
Kelly and Mark walked on set holding hands to the tune of “2 Be Loved” by Lizzo.
The couple presumably hoped to wow with warm, on-screen chemistry.
Instead, 51-year-old Ripa started things off with a joke: "Joining me today and permanently until one of us dies, is Mark Consuelos."
By contrast, Mark offered a muted response: “I just want to say a quick thank you for trusting me to be your co-pilot. I really appreciate it."
Kelly later mocked Mark on his first day as her permanent co-host, telling him: "You behave in a way that is so bougie and ridiculous."
In an exclusive interview, body language expert told The U.S. Sun: “Kelly's gestures show her going in hard in terms of not worrying, not supporting or fussing over Mark.
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“Kelly isn’t easing Mark into this job. It isn't an even playing field either because she's been doing this for years.
“Mark sits slightly hunched and looks self-diminished with his hands clasped tightly and tensely in front of his torso.
“As he gazes out on set, it was Kelly doing the face-gazing as though trying to prompt a response from Mark.
“At one point, she leans in towards him with one hand held out on a ‘serving plate’ gesture.
"It was as if she was inviting him to join in the laughs or the banter.
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“It looked unbalanced and as if Mark could only speak after Kelly said he could.
“In the stills, Mark looks like he’s the new boy on the block. In reality, he isn't since he'd done all this before."
The pair also shared a series of Instagram photos from their first day.
Judi says: “Mark's posing a spatial gap away from the team.
“He has one hand stuffed in his pocket which shows his uncertainty.
“Kelly snuggles in with lots of head closeness to try and register like-minded thinking.
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“She does seem to show more affection towards him for the photo-taking.
“At one point, Mark pops in behind Kelly with a rigid smile as she poses centrally and confidently for a selfie with the audience.
"Here she's showing she’s in charge.
“He also looks nervous en route in the video posted on his Instagram in the car, despite trying to show otherwise.”
Kelly and Mark met in 1995 when they starred together on All My Children and have been married since 1996.
As well as enjoying a rock-solid marriage, they’re parents to three adult children: Lola, Michael, 25, and Joaquin Antonio, 19.
After eloping to Las Vegas, Mark went on to further his acting career by appearing in Riverdale and working on the couple's production company, Milojo.
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Kelly found wider fame as a co-host of Live and has enjoyed being in the hot seat for 23 years, since joining in February 2001.
The hit daytime show has seen Kelly host along with three others before Mark, including Regis Philbin and former NFL star Michael Strahan.
In February, when her most recent co-host Ryan Seacrest announced he was leaving the ABC morning show, Mark - who’d guest hosted with Kelly in the past - was the obvious permanent replacement.
Since then, Kelly had remarked openly about her new teammate.
On Instagram, she wrote that the pair were entering "the contractual obligation phase of our relationship."
Consuelos, 52, meanwhile seemed excited about joining up with her.
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At the time, he said: "This is going to be amazing," before adding: "I can't believe after all these years of listening to you talk for free, I found a way to get paid for it. Is this a great country or what?”
But in an Instagram video, posted en route to his first day on Live, our expert notes how Mark already showed signs of nerves.
“Mark’s body language in the car to the studio suggests he knew he was in for some teasing,” Judi added.
“He’s like a small kid winding up the anxiety en route to his first day at school in this video.
“His splayed legs suggest a desire to look laid-back.
“Mark tried to look in control but his hand rituals are all about first-day jitters.
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“There are some constant self-touch gestures that signal either an attempt to self-comfort or self-calm.
“This is the kind of scratching and fiddling that tends to reveal a burst of adrenalin prompted by pressure and nervousness.
“In the back of the car, Mark rubs one knee and thigh in what looks like a self-soothing gesture.
"His other leg is juddering in a metronomic movement to suggest impatience.
“His constant rubbing and holding of his watch imply a fear of being late.
“Mark’s checking touches from his ear to his watch and then a touch of the bag beside him hint at nerves.
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"His body language shows a desire to get everything right.
“His words suggest some of that pressure might unwittingly be coming from Kelly.
“He describes his wife as ‘the best in the business.’
"But when he talks about how ‘fast’ she is and about needing to be quick to ‘keep up,’ there’s a hint of professional competitiveness.
“He shows feelings of pressure to rise to the challenge out there on set.
“As the video gets to the end, Mark hilariously seems to try to re-boot his alpha male confidence and power.
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“He reaches for a large steel water bottle that he places upright between his legs in a subliminal signal of machismo.
“It looks like Mark may have some longer-term settling in to do.”
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