“Live! With Kelly” just got a little hotter! After nine months and over 50 guest hosts, former NFL star Michael Strahan has been officially announced as Kelly Ripa‘s new co-host.

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Strahan made his official “Live! With Kelly” debut this morning, jogging onto set and scooping Kelly up into a bear hug, showering her with a dozen red roses. Kelly gushed, ”It’s so nice to have a co-host literally sweep you off your feet. I know that he can bench press me if he wanted to.”

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Regis Philbin, the original “Live!” host, set the bar high after a successful 28 years and world record for most hours on TV. However, viewers and producers have high hopes for the new daytime duo.

“As a guest co-host, Michael’s chemistry with Kelly was off the charts, and continued to grow each time he visited the show,” said Michael Gelman, the show’s executive producer. “The interaction between the co-hosts always has been what makes this show different from any other on television.”

Tell us what you think of the new “Live! With Kelly and Michael”. Is it a match made in heaven or a disaster waiting to happen?

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