Kelly Ripa has shared the subtle signal she gives her husband, Mark Consuelos, when she’s not in the mood for intimacy. During a recent episode of LIVE!, the couple were discussing the mating habits of koalas – something Mark found surprisingly relatable.
"When they’re mating the koala goes in there and says ‘Hey, I’m, Mr. Koala.’ At times they’re not interested, so they turn their backs on them, and instead of being heartbroken, they just go to sleep," said Mark.
"It’s like you!" replied Kelly, as she turned her back on her husband, adding, "And I pop my retainer in. He hears the retainer pop in, it’s like a chastity belt."
© Getty ImagesMark then teased that the sound of Kelly putting in her retainer is very loud and echoes through the room. "He’s like, 'Was that your retainer,'" Kelly said of her husband, and she explained he adds, "All right, guess I’m going to bed."
"And that’s what they do," replied Mark. "They [Koalas] have to preserve their energy until the right partner shows up."
"Right," said Kelly, as she imitated inserting her retainer. "Click!"
© Getty ImagesWhy does Kelly Ripa wear a retainer?
Kelly previously explained that she has to wear a retainer because she never had braces as a child. "I never had braces and I have spent the past 35 plus years correcting what should of been done for me as a kid - but we won't get into that!" she said.
"You have so many things going on in your mouth," teased Mark. "You’ve got your retainer, you’ve got the little band, the thing …. Do you have upper and lower retainers?"
"I’m not going to tell you because you live with me and every night you watch me get ready for bed," replied Kelly. "I'm going to let you figure out whether I wear an upper and lower retainer."
© Getty ImagesMark then said that "whatever it is", it causes Ripa to slur her speech "for the first few hours at night and the first few hours in the morning".
Kelly has also undergone masseter botox to relieve her teeth clenching and jaw tension at night. "I was a tooth grinder," she shared. "Got Botox in my jaw because my dentist recommended it and it’s changed my life. It’s changed my life."
She continued: "I was a real teeth clencher. I clench my teeth because I don’t want what I’m thinking to come spilling out of my mouth."
