'Hope & Faith' Star on 20/20 this Friday

[Pavan]

BARBARA WALTERS TALKS WITH KELLY RIPA ABOUT HER MOVE TO PRIMETIME AND HER RAPID RISE TO TV STARDOM, ON "20/20," FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 ON ABC


Also:
* Dr. Timothy Johnson on a New Oral Contraceptive That Could Be a Major Development in Women's Healthcare
* John Stossel's "Give Me a Break" -- Protesting "Sweatshops"


On this week's "20/20," Barbara Walters interviews Kelly Ripa, who discusses her incredible career path from a self-described "horrible" actress to Daytime TV star and now to possible Primetime fame. The former soap opera star from "All My Children" and current "Live with Regis & Kelly" sidekick co-stars in the new ABC sitcom "Hope and Faith," premiering next week. Ripa addresses rumors that her success has strained her marriage to fellow actor Mark Consuelos and tells Walters that her ultimate ambition is to be a stay-at-home mom and not in Hollywood. "20/20" airs FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Ripa admits she feels a bit nervous about her first shot at Primetime. "I'm nervous in a way that I feel is positive," she tells Walters. "I was nervous like this for 'All My Children.' I was nervous like this when I was offered the job of Regis' sidekick, and when I took that job I was very nervous like that. I was nervous like that when I got married. It's a positive nervousness."

Consuelos and Ripa, the parents of three young children, say their marriage is strong, largely because of their support for each other's careers. "If we can survive being married and working on a soap together...commuting back and forth when we lived in New Jersey, and we didn't get divorced then, we're never gonna get divorced," says Consuelos. "Yeah," adds Ripa, "if that didn't kill the marriage, nothing will."

Also: ABC News Medical Editor Dr. Timothy Johnson looks at a new oral contraceptive just approved by the FDA that some women's health experts say could be a major lifestyle improvement for women on the pill. The drug, Seasonale, is the first oral contraceptive specifically packaged to cut the number of menstrual periods from one a month to just four per year. But is the convenience worth any potential risk? Dr. Johnson talks with health experts who weigh the pros and cons.

And: John Stossel says 'Give Me a Break' to the protesters who say they champion the rights of workers in foreign "sweatshops." Stossel reports many don't grasp the fact that these factories can actually offer better working conditions than other workplaces in developing nations -- and much higher wages. Plus, they serve as significant economic engines for third-world economies.

ABCNEWS.com will provide companion programming and carry reports from "20/20" on ABC News Live, the 24/7 streaming video news network available on the Internet to subscribers. Go to ABCNEWS.com for more information.

"20/20" is anchored by Barbara Walters and John Stossel. The executive producer is David Sloan. (CLOSED CAPTIONED)