Yahoo Lifestyle Kelly Ripa Breaks Down as Mark Consuelos Announces Devastating Loss
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos powered through their Wednesday broadcast of Live with Kelly and Mark, despite suffocating under the weight of a deeply personal loss the day before.
The father of three began the morning's episode by revealing the "rough day" the couple had on Tuesday, as they "had to say goodbye" to their 17-year-old pup Chewie, as transcribed by Entertainment Weekly.
"Chewie had stopped eating for a couple days and had been eating less and less for the past few weeks," Conseulos shared. "She was extremely dehydrated and had some neurological stuff going on. You think, OK, I'm doing the right thing. This isn't going to be easy, but it's probably one of the toughest things we've had to do as a married couple," he added, calling their beloved pet "a great part of our life."
While Ripa sat quietly during most of his speech, she couldn't hold herself together when her husband pointed out that she was the one to bring Chewie home, having adopted him right there on the show.
"I'm really sorry. I thought I got it all out, guys," she apologized as she addressed the audience. "I really thought I got it all out, and I apologize because I did not. This is not how I wanted this to go down. God, she gave us so much. We're filled with gratitude for this dog. I apologize, I'm so sorry. She gave us so much. As each one of our kids left for college and then moved out on their own, Chewie remained right there like our steadfast companion."
The two were grateful that Chewie was the first "tremendous loss" of their lives, and revealed how big of an impact she made on others in their lives, too. She likened the string of folks—from friends to the mail carrier—stopping by to say goodbye to a "presidential" procession, crying more as she recounted the final moments with their dog.
"She never let us kiss her face. She was very precious about her face. She was not that dog. And, after she passed away last night, I kissed her a thousand times on the face, I kissed her nose. I'd never kissed her nose before," she shared, joking that she was "somewhere in dog heaven, pissed!"
But, the show must go on, and Consuelos assured his wife and the audience, despite the heightened emotions, "We're going to get through it all together."
Chewie's death came just days after Ripa shared an "extraordinary" update on the pup's declining health, revealing that she "lifted her own crotch" for the first time "in weeks."
"It's going to sound like not a big deal, but if you're a pet owner, you know, you know," she said at the time. "You understand what I'm saying, this is a massive thing."
Next: Mark Consuelos Details the Text Wife Kelly Ripa Received From Al Roker That Made Him Jealous
