Soap Opera Couples Who Met and Fell In Love on Set

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos met during Consuelos' audition for All My Children. They debuted their relationship one year later in 1996 and have been married for 26 years, sharing three grown children.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos

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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos met during Consuelos' audition for All My Children. They debuted their relationship one year later in 1996 and have been married for 26 years, sharing three grown children.

In a 2022 conversation on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, the Live with Kelly and Ryan host explained how her relationship with Consuelos worked despite everything she believes in.

"On paper, it should not have worked," Ripa said. "I say it all the time, I'm like, How are we still married?"

She continued, "I married my crush. It's very counter [to] everything I am."

Ripa also said Consuelos was persistent, recalling, "He was very convincing also. He was super convincing. He's a very persuasive person. And here's the other thing. This cannot be understated. He's a kind human being."

Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes

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Four years after Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes shared their very first kiss on Days of Our Lives in July 1970, they tied the knot in real life on Oct. 12, 1974.

Two years later, their characters, Doug and Julie, wed on TV on Oct. 1, 1976.

With nearly 50 years of marriage, the duo share their secrets to a successful relationship on their website, Secrets of Soap Opera Lovers.

The Hayes have both received Lifetime Achievement Emmys for their more than 50 years of powerful acting on NBC's Days of Our Lives.

Kassie Wesley and James DePaiva

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James DePaiva and Kassie Wesley married on May 31, 1996.

DePaiva is best known for portraying Max Holden on the ABC Daytime soap opera One Life to Live from 1987 to 1990 and from 1991 to 2003, while Wesley had a 20-year run as Blair Cramer on OLTL (her other roles include Chelsea Reardon on Guiding Light and Eve Donovan on NBC's Days of Our Lives).

The duo have one son, James Quentin, 26.

Their OLTL characters Blair and Max had on-and-off feelings for one another until Max ultimately decided he was in love with Luna Moody (Susan Batten).

Casey Moss and True O'Brien

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After years of sharing an on-screen romance on Days of Our Lives as JJ Deveraux and Paige Larson, this duo announced their real-life engagement in June 2022 after seven years of dating.

Susan Walters and Linden Ashby

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This dynamic duo met in 1986 on the set of Loving — and married three months later!

Susan Walters, who is best known for her roles as Lorna Forbes on the ABC daytime soap from 1983 to late 1986 and as Diane Jenkins on the CBS's The Young and the Restless, and Linden Ashby, who played Lorna's cousin Curtis Alden on Loving, have two daughters: Frances Grace (1991) and Savannah Elizabeth (1992).

Crystal Chappell and Michael Sabatino

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Crystal Chappell and Michael Sabatino metwhen they were both appearing on Days of Our Lives in the early 1990s. Their onscreen characters, Carly Manning and Lawrence Alamain, had a wild on-again, off-again romance that eventually led to the birth of their onscreen son, Nicholas Alamain.

The actors joined DOOL in 1990 and left the show together in 1993. Four years later, the duo wed in January 1997.

They have two children together, Jacob Walker and Dylan Michael.

Maura West and Scott DeFreitas

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This couple met while working on the CBS soap As The World Turns in the 1990s and were married on Jan. 22, 2000.

Scott DeFreitas portrayed Andrew "Andy" Dixon and Maura West played Carly Tenney on ATWT and remained with the series until its finale in 2010. (West is also known for her roles in The Young and the Restless and General Hospital).

Together, they have four children: sons Joseph (born 2000) and Basil (born 2007) and daughters Katherine (born 2002) and Birdie (born 2009).

Bryton James and Brytni Sarpy

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Bryton James and Brytni Sarpy are known for their roles as Devon Hamilton and Elena Dawson on The Young and The Restless. They began dating in May 2019.

Of her first impression of James, Sarpy told Soap Opera Digest in 2019: "He was really cool, really calm, really collected. He seemed like a warm guy. This was actually right after Kristoff St. John passed and I knew the connection, so I gave him my condolences. He seemed like a really nice, helpful, jolly guy. He was already laughing and smiling."

"My real first impression of her was she was a lot more fun and had a better sense of humor than I thought originally," said James. "We realized she was as goofy as me. I think that's the biggest thing. I didn't realize she had the sense of humor that she did."

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