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Kelly Ripa’s painful dental surgery sidelined the daytime TV staple, forcing the famously chatty host into an unusual recovery that left husband Mark Consuelos revealing she couldn’t even speak.
During Monday’s show, Consuelos revealed Ripa had undergone gum graft surgery.
“Kelly sends her love,” the “Live with Kelly and Mark” co-host told guest Nick Jonas. “Kelly had a little bit – well, it’s not a little – she had a gum graft surgery.”
Gum graft surgery typically helps correct thinning or receding gums, according to Cleveland Clinic. Consuelos admitted Ripa had been recommended to have the surgery years ago.
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“Her dentist said five years ago, ‘You can do it in about five years,’” Consuelos recalled. “And she joked, ‘I didn’t think I’d still be on the air in five years!’ “
Consuelos revealed her lengthy recovery process includes not talking.
“Wow. That’s got to be the hardest thing she’s ever done,” Jonas joked.
Describing Ripa as “such a great conversationalist,” Consuelos hinted he might be having trouble having the talk show host follow doctor’s orders.
“I’m trying to keep her to follow the rules, follow the directions,” he said.
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As Ripa recovered at home, Consuelos said the toughest part wasn’t the pain – it was convincing the famously curious TV host to stop checking on her healing gums and let the procedure do its work.
“Last night she was like, ‘Can you look?’ I’m like, ‘I’m not pulling your lip down,’” Consuelos said. Ripa instead got into position so Consuelos could check without touching her lip. “So I’m down there like, ‘It looks great!’ “
The longtime actor said the surgery was especially alarming because Ripa rarely complains about pain, making this recovery stand out from any previous trip to the dentist.
“Yeah, it’s painful,” he told Jonas. “But she famously doesn’t feel pain. When she goes into the dentist, she doesn’t use the novocaine. But this one hurts, so I know it’s bad.”
Ripa’s notoriously high pain tolerance led Jonas to marvel at just how much women can endure. He revealed his own wife, Danielle Jonas, has a similar ability to brush off pain.
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“I’ll be like, ‘Are you in pain?’ She’s like, ‘I’m fine!’ Come to find out her foot’s, like, falling off,” Jonas joked.
“Well, they do have kids. They deliver kids,” Consuelos added. “We’re not built for that.”
Ripa is not expected to return to “Live” for the next week, a representative for the show confirmed to People.
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