How Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell keep the romance real

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell are one of our fav celebrity couples. We take a trip down romantic memory lane, remembering why they’re one of Hollywood’s sweetest pairs.

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell captivated us as a couple long before they married. And we adored them even more when we learned that their wait to tie the knot was all about holding off until the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Join us as we explore Dax’s and Kristen’s relationship in a romance timeline.

These two initially seemed to have nothing in common

In a refreshing change from the usual “love at first sight” romantic confessions of celebrity duos, Shepard has shared that he thought he and Bell had nothing in common, reported Insider.

Dax and Kristen met up in 2007 during a Detroit Red Wings hockey game. The actor confessed that after listening to Bell and her pals, he felt “suspicious of their unbridled happiness.”

But although the always candid Shepard joked that he first thought his now-wife and her friends were so positive that they had to be in a cult, he gradually came around.

“She gives people the benefit of the doubt,” Dax has come to realize.

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell had rocky start

The couple who fights together stays together? Kristen first characterized their romance as “toxic.” Even although the two “fell madly in love,” they repeatedly engaged in verbal battles.

“I realized how incredibly toxic it was only after he pointed it out,” confessed Bell.

Over time, she let go of the dramatic exits and door slamming that previously punctuated their battles. But one big red flag remained that marred their relationship. Shepard was struggling to stay sober.

Shepard caused conflict in relationship before becoming sober

During their first year and a half as a couple, Dax’s addiction and his actions connected to what he later called his “toxic, life-threatening stupor” that caused repeated conflict for Bell and Shepard.

“For the first year and a half we were together that was what we battled over almost weekly,” he once confessed.

But with sobriety came a more solid relationship, one that included a baby.

Shepard and Bell graduate to parenthood and marriage

Kristen and Dax welcomed their first baby in March 2013. That same year, same-sex marriage became legalized in California.

The couple had agreed to wait until that milestone before they tied the knot themselves.  They had a very private wedding ceremony at the Beverly Hills Courthouse.

Bell later confessed on Instagram that she cried “tears of joy” in all of their wedding photos (awww)!

Dax Shepard gives advice on raising kids after second baby

Shepard and Bell welcomed their second baby, Delta, in December 2014. Dax told Us Weekly that thanks to couples counseling, the two have acquired some solid parenting skills.

Lincoln is now 3, while Delta is 5. If their parents fight when their young daughters are in the room, Shepard and Bell resolve the battle when the kids are in the room as well.

“You know, generally, kids see their parents get in a fight and then parents sort it out in a bedroom and then later they’re fine, so the kid never learns, how do you de-escalate?” pointed out the 43-year-old devoted dad.

As often as possible, therefore, Shepard and Bell, 38, resolve the fight and make amends when their daughters are watching as well. And while they keep the romance real, they also keep it fun. Just check out this hilarious Instagram Bell shared, showing off her husband shirtless.

One of our favorite quotes about relationships comes from Bell as reported by People.

"Our relationship wasn’t perfect. We had a couple years of fighting and of growing pains and hating each other, then loving each other and going to couples therapy and we worked it out … We earned each other."

What do you think of Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell’s romance history? Share your comments below.