Kelly Ripa on the tears shed at Ryan Seacrest's last 'Live': 'Extraordinarily emotional'

Ryan Seacrest's "Live" departure was quite the teary goodbye, his now former cohost Kelly Ripa shares.

Seacrest's sendoff aired Friday after six seasons of sitting by Ripa's side. Ripa's husband and former "All My Children" love interest, Mark Consuelos, will step in as her permanent co-host Monday.

"You took this LA stranger and made me part of your family and welcomed me into this well-oiled machined that you have led for so many years. This is a special place," Seacrest said during Friday's show.

In an interview Thursday, just after Seacrest's finale was taped, Ripa, a "Live" cohost since 2001, described his farewell as "very, extraordinarily emotional." Consuelos, seated by his wife for the interview, advised viewers to "bring your tissue boxes."

Big changes at 'Live with Kelly': Ryan Seacrest to be replaced by Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos

Just like Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, 8 more celebrity couples who've worked together

Tears flowed before Ripa and Seacrest filmed the final show

Ripa, 52, says she and Seacrest, 48, teased each other about how emotional they would be.

"Like, ‘No, you're gonna cry.’ ‘No, I'm not gonna cry. You're gonna cry," she says. "And then we were like, ‘Nobody's going to cry. Because if we start crying, then our parents will cry, and your sister will cry. We're going to keep it together. We’re going to keep it professional.’"

But moments before the final show, the cohosts couldn't keep the tears from coming.

"We were backstage waiting for Déjà (Vu Parker) to make the final announcement, and I looked at him, and we just locked eyes," says Ripa. "And I was like, 'Oh my gosh! This sucks!' And then we both started crying, and I was like, 'No! No! We are not crying before we get out there. It's going to be a disaster!'"

Ripa cried thinking it would be the last time she walked out with Seacrest, whom she affectionately calls "Ry-Ry."

Andy Cohen jokes Kelly Ripa has a 'massive future' on OnlyFans when she's done with 'Live'

Why is Ryan Seacrest leaving 'Live?'

Seacrest announced his departure on air in February, and he plans to move back to the West Coast ("Live" airs from New York) and continue his duties hosting "American Idol" and "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest." He will return occasionally to guest host.

When Seacrest announced he was leaving, "Live" was already prepared to introduce his replacement, revealing Consuelos would be Ripa's new sidekick on the show.

'Live' sends Ryan Seacrest off with bloopers and Y2K throwbacks

Despite the tears surrounding Seacrest's departure, Friday's "Live" kicked off with laughs as clips played of Seacrest falling out of his chair on air, tricky trivia and a throwback of Seacrest when he was a guest on the show in 2005 – complete with frosted blonde tips in his hair.

"How about all of our hair," Seacrest said. "I mean, mine was just like yours."

During the 2000s-era clip, Consuelos sat in the chair next to Ripa as her guest co-host. Seacrest said the clip was "so funny" considering that Ripa and Consuelos will be hosting together again after his departure.

"I'm going to come back as a guest," Seacrest said.

First lady Jill Biden joins 'Live' to wish Seacrest a farewell

First lady Jill Biden was the guest for Seacrest's last day at "Live," and Seacrest called on her to give their show a presidential rating.

"Has (the show) ever been on in the White House?" Seacrest asked.

Biden who called Seacrest's exit "bittersweet," said "of course" the show has been on at the president's residence.

"And what's your big takeaway? When you watch it do you say, 'My gosh, is there any other channel?'" Ripa said.

Biden quipped, "That's exactly what we say."

Kelly Ripa reveals she had to work from janitor's closet, use a public bathroom at 'Live'

Kelly Ripa shares Mark Consuelos used to be 'insanely jealous,' which made marriage 'very hard'

Ripa says 'fundamental relationship' with Seacrest won't change

Ripa says she'll miss Seacrest's "enthusiasm, his joy, his kindness, his generosity." And also his sense of humor and their ability to communicate without saying a word.

"I don't think a lot will change about our fundamental relationship. We just won't be having a talk show on TV every morning," Ripa says. "So it's not as terrifying as it would be if it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I loved working with this guy, and now he's gone.’ I know we'll still see each other at the holidays. We'll still travel together.”

And it helps that her husband, with whom she'll celebrate 27 years of marriage next month, is stepping into Seacrest's shoes.

“I went from good hands to good hands," she says. "I can't be more grateful for this transition, because I went from working with one of my very favorite people in the world to working with my very favorite person in the world.”

Seacrest and Consuelos did a ceremonious "passing of the mug" to commemorate the cohost transition on Friday's show.

"When the transition was happening one of the first phone calls I got was from Ryan. I'll never forget your words of kindness and support and reassurance," Consuelos told Seacrest in front of the studio audience. "I love you."

Hoda Kotb gets tearful about daughter Hope, Savannah Guthrie talks sexism and tabloid rumors

Contributing: Kelly Lawler

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryan Seacrest tears up on last 'Live': Kelly Ripa calls it 'emotional'