Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on Being the 'Villain' During Arguments: 'Neither of Us Needs to Be the Hero'

As the spouses of nearly 27 years prepare to become full-time TV co-hosts, they open up about how they approach disagreements and quip that Live will offer them the chance to "work it out on camera!"

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos won't pretend to be anything they're not — on or off screen.

They've been married for more than 26 years, and the soon-to-be Live with Kelly and Mark co-hosts aren't afraid to admit that not every day has been 100 percent harmonious.

"I don't understand when people say, 'We never fight,'" Ripa, 52, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "I go, 'Oh, they're in trouble.'"

She continues, "Many people we know have gone through a divorce or a separation, and when you ask, 'Why did you guys wind up getting a divorce?' it's always the same answer: 'I don't really know.' I feel like we could have over the years let something small turn into that, and [instead] we just put our heads down, got together and said, 'Let's work it out….' [Now] we can work it out on camera!"

RELATED VIDEO: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on Marriage, Kids and Co-Hosting Live: 'It's Going to Be Off the Rails!'

As they ramp up for his official co-hosting debut on Monday, Ripa and Consuelos agree they're pretty prepared for their off-screen life to be an open book — within limits, of course.

"We're not going to be like, 'About that thing you said about my mother…' [but] we're not afraid to go there," she shares. "We also have the confidence in our marriage that no matter what we discuss, I don't mind being the villain in the argument, nor does Mark. Neither one of us needs to be the hero."

Consuelos teases, "If we think something is really going to be funny..."

"Then all bets are off," Ripa finishes his sentence.

"That's magic," says Consuelos, 52.

Related:Kelly Ripa on the First Time Mark Consuelos Said 'I Love You': 'It Was a Scene out of Melrose Place'

For more of the exclusive cover interview with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, pick up an issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

The couple tied the knot in 1996. Since, they've welcomed kids Michael, 25, Lola, 21, and Joaquin, 20.

And though it's bittersweet to see her close friend and current co-host Ryan Seacrest leave after six years, Ripa is thrilled about this newly permanent on-screen partnership with her husband.

"To have Mark join me at that desk every day, it's a dream come true," she tells PEOPLE. "We've been so uniquely blessed."

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