Kelly Ripa recently had to take a step back from her iconic show, Live with Kelly and Mark. Earlier this summer, she was not around for several tapings of the show, leaving fans to hope she was okay. However, turns out she was in a lot of pain. Keep reading to find out what happened to her.
Kelly Ripa Off The Air
Kelly Ripa has been on TV for a long time. In fact, she made her first debut in 1990 when she starred on All My Children. Of course, now, she’s known for Live with Kelly and Mark, where she and her husband chat about all the happenings. So, her departure from the show was a big deal. However, she wasn’t gone for no reason. In fact, seems like she had something pretty important to do.
Apparently, the star was in surgery.
So what was her surgery for? It may not be what you expect. She actually needed a gum graft, which is an incredibly painful procedure. The doctors take the “skin off the roof of your mouth” and graft it onto your gums. Kelly reveals that she wasn’t “allowed to talk for 10 days.”
According to Wonderwall, she did an interview about the surgery before it happened. While it was just released, the surgery actually happened back in July.
Of course, since she was in so much pain and couldn’t talk, there was truly no point in being part of tapings for Live with Kelly and Mark.
How Did This Happen?
How does one end up needing a gum graft? Apparently it’s not for a bad reason.
“I’m an over-brusher,” she says.
So because she brushes her teeth too much, she ended up with ‘gum recession.’
“I brush my teeth too much. It’s a good-bad habit,” Kelly admits. “But I’ve caused gum recession down here specifically, and so they have gotta re-gum my gums.”
However, Kelly is the first to admit that she really put this surgery off. She was supposed to have it five years ago.
“Before you praise me, I was supposed to do it five years ago,” she explains. “But now, just so you know, the doctor was like, ‘Now, you don’t have the luxury of time.’”
While the pain levels would be high, Kelly was actually most nervous about not being able to talk. “We’re already managing my stress level for not being able to talk for 10 days,” she said at the time.
Of course, this interview was done before the surgery. So, it seems like everything must’ve gone very well, as the star is back in action now.
Have you ever heard of a gum graft surgery? Let us know what you think about Kelly Ripa’s surgery in the comments below. Come back to TV Shows Ace for more updates on all of your favorite TV stars.
Haley is a recent IU grad with a degree in journalism and apparel merchandising. She loves to indulge her guilty pleasures by watching or writing about reality TV. In her free time, you can find her wandering around IKEA looking for cool furniture or playing with her cat Bagel.