Here's How Kelly Ripa's On-Camera Body Language Has Shifted Since Husband Mark Joined Her Show

The legendary Kelly Ripa has been spicing up my mornings as the co-host of her syndicated talk show, Live!, for as long as I can remember. In fact, I can still recall catching glimpses of the glamorous co-host and Regis Philbin on waiting room TVs when I was a kid. Now, more than two decades (and multiple co-hosts) later, the Emmy-winning actress is still going strong, proudly hosting alongside her husband and fellow actor, Mark Consuelos.

Having seen a few of her previous episodes with different co-hosts, including Ryan Seacrest and Michael Strahan, I've noticed quite a shift in Ripa's body language. In fact, several observant fans may have noticed that the TV personality has grown much more confident and relaxed over time—and after analyzing her body language, I definitely noticed a subtle shift. If you need proof, allow me to present my case with the following footage.

Even so, Ripa's body language was typically reserved, likely because she was still relatively new. For instance, in the above episode, Ripa limits her hand gestures and mostly keeps them on her lap as Philbin spearheads a few of the show's segments. She also maintains a more rigid posture, and keeps physical touch to a minimum, which suggests the two had a very professional relationship.

In the above video, Ripa's body language says it all. As she speaks, she takes up more space with her hand gestures, leans back in her chair and even leans forward, indicating her comfort level. But here's the twist: Ripa and Strahan don't establish much eye contact, and she doesn't lean in towards her co-host as much. She also sits with her arms crossed a few times, so while they got along really well in front of the cameras, I'll admit, I'm a tad suspicious about how genuine their rapport was.

Seacrest's words couldn't be more true, because that shared trust is evident in each of their shared episodes. In the above video, there's a moment when Ripa shifts her torso to face Seacrest and maintain eye contact as they interact, showing that she values her co-host's thoughts and is fully engaged. She's also very animated, her smiles are genuine, and she's not shy when it comes to physical touch (note the friendly arm pat near the two-minute mark), underscoring the fact that this pair made a solid team.