Mark Consuelos Confesses Divorce Dealbreaker With Kelly Ripa

Theorizing how he would spend time away from Lena—a Maltese and Shih Tzu mix that the couple adopted after a pet adoption segment on the show in 2021—Consuelos emphasized, “I would stay up at night wondering what she was doing.”

And Ripa continued to rib her husband, noting his sleepless nights without Lena would be caused by him “wondering if there was some other man petting her.” 

While Consuelos and Ripa were ulti-mutt-ly lighthearted about the idea of breaking up, the pair are fur real about their love for their pets. Indeed, they shared a vulnerable moment with their audience last year when announcing their beloved 17-year-old dog Chewie had died.

“We had a rough day yesterday. Gosh, we had to say goodbye to Chewie,” Consuelos said on the February 2025 episode. “It’s probably one of the toughest things that we’ve had to do as a married couple.”

For her part, Ripa shared her heartbreak through tears.

“She gave us so much,” she noted. “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 55-year-old added, “You have to understand that this dog was so special, and she was such a great girl.”

And Consuelos made sure to remind his wife, “You were a great dog mom. She adored you.”

Read on for more celebrities who share a special bond with their pets.