Kelly Ripa and Family Head to Turks and Caicos on Vacation Amid ‘Live!’ Drama

People
Updated
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Kelly Ripa is photographed leaving her NYC home on Thursday. (Photo: Startraksphoto.com)

Vacation is starting unexpectedly early for Kelly Ripa after the bombshell news that that her Live! cohost Michael Strahan is leaving their morning talk show for Good Morning America.

Ripa surprised viewers by not appearing on-air for Wednesday’s broadcast, and sources have confirmed to PEOPLE that she will not be returning the rest of the week, and is en route to Turks and Caicos Islands for a vacation with her family.

The host was already scheduled to be off the air on Friday and Monday to go on a “long-planned” 20th anniversary trip with husband Mark Consuelos, a source tells PEOPLE.

“It’s fortuitous that she had this trip planned with her husband and it wouldn’t be surprising if it started early,” the source says.

A second source adds that Ripa, 41, will “definitely” return to the show, but it’s unclear when.

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Kelly and her husband, Mark Consuelos, are heading to Turks and Caicos for an anniversary vacation. (Photo: Startraksphoto.com)

For now, ABC has found temporary replacements while Ripa is away. Dancing with the Stars’s Erin Andrews will sit in for her on Thursday with Strahan, who is expected to move to GMA in September. Andrews will also be featured on Friday’s broadcast, which was already scheduled to pre-tape on Thursday.

The network has also recruited another ABC/Freeform affiliate, Shay Mitchell, to co-host Monday’s program.

“[Kelly] is being very mature about this and choosing not to talk a lot and to wait and see how this plays out,” says the source, who adds that she feels “blindsided” by not being given a heads up about Strahan’s departure.

“She’s dedicated everything to the program, it was the primary focus in her career, she has been dedicated to maintaining the show for both the staff and viewers – and then all of a sudden the entire program is changed without them being decent enough to give her any notice.”

A source previously told PEOPLE that Ripa is already eyeing potential replacements for Strahan, including longtime friends Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.