Long before Kelly Ripa became a household name as the queen of daytime TV, she was a regular teenager with big dreams, incredible dance moves, and some classic '80s hair to match.
Before landing her breakout role as Hayley Vaughan on All My Children or her decades-long reign as the co-host of Live!, Kelly captured hearts on the dance show Dance Party USA — and her moves were wild!
In the video above, leotard-clad Kelly looks unrecognizable with big, curly hair and bold retro fashion — but her beaming smile gives her away.
Baby-faced Kelly was in high school at the time and her infectious charisma signaled a future star!
She was a regular dancer and segment host on the popular show and would participate in teen talk segments, including a popular advice corner called Dr. Love where cast members answered relationship questions sent in by viewers.
Despite her meteoric rise after Dance Party USA, Kelly has frequently spoken about feeling like an underdog. During her Hollywood Walk of Fame speech, she joked about her complete lack of qualifications when ABC repeatedly took massive gambles on her.
"They took a 19-year-old girl with virtually no acting experience and put her on the number one soap opera," she said about breaking into acting.
"Then they took the same girl… with absolutely no broadcast experience at all, and gave her the seat next to the incredible Regis Philbin."
Kelly continued: "Then they took the same girl, who had no experience in sitcoms whatsoever, and gave her a sitcom," she said of the show Hope and Faith.
The mom-of-three has admitted that it took her eight years on Live! to stop feeling like an imposter and to finally feel like she earned her seat.
