Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Reveal the Sweet Birthday Gift She Got Him

— -- Kelly Ripa went the sentimental route for her husband's birthday gift.

Today, the "Live with Kelly & Michael" host and her husband, who just turned 44, discussed the gesture -- a plaque on a bench in Central Park.

"It's so nice," gushed Consuelos, who turned 44 on March 31. "That's the best gift I've ever received."

Ripa, 44, told her husband in the morning that she'd give him his gift when she got home. First, he guessed that they were going to a hotel, and then, when she led him outside, he assumed she was giving him a car.

"I'm like, 'Oh no! He thinks it's something amazing!'" she said with a laugh.

As they made their way down Fifth Avenue, Consuelos kept guessing about what his wife had in store. A flash mob ("My worst nightmare!" he said) and a townhouse were two of his theories.

"I'm like, 'Stop saying elaborate things, because now my very sweet gift that's very sweet and from the kids and from the heart is going to seem really small!'" she said.

But when he finally reached the bench, which Ripa had decorated with balloons and a sign, he was touched.

The plaque, he pointed out, reads: "Daddy Cool," Ripa's nickname for him.

"You're the most thoughtful, the best gift giver of all time," he told his wife.