Kristen Bell Says Only 2 Words Are Keeping Her Marriage Alive

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been married for nearly a decade now, and it’s been a bumpy ride for them. The couple has admitted on multiple occasions that their differences make their marriage difficult. But their love for each other is so strong, they refuse to stop working on their happiness. Let’s find out Bell and Shepard’s secrets to navigating married life.

They never remember their anniversary.

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell have been married since 2013, but the exact date is unknown because they themselves don’t really know it. As Bell wrote on Instagram in 2019, “We were reminded by family and friends that at some point last week, it was our 5-year wedding anniversary. In truth, neither of us remembers which day.”

She continued to explain why the date doesn’t matter. “That’s because we have been living the celebration of our commitment every moment since. I find when you are living with gratitude each moment, the dates become irrelevant,” wrote the actress. “I will never remember the date of our anniversary @daxshepard, and I know you won’t either. And that’s just one more thing I love about us.”

Therapy saved their marriage.

The couple has always been honest about their marital struggles. Their biggest hurdle is their strong personalities, so they’ve always required outside help on how to handle their differences. Shepard once jokingly summed up how it is for them: “The marriage is a disaster, but when we work together, it’s very harmonious.”

Bell, in turn, continued to explain their situation more in-depth: “We met, we fell in love, we’re both very stubborn people, and year 1 and 2 was turbulent, and we thought we need outside opinions. We need a bigger toolbox — everyone’s born with a tiny toolbox — so we went to therapy, we figured out how to disagree but still love each other.”

Their secret to a happy marriage lies in 2 words.

The Frozen star once took to Instagram to share a note she wrote to a soon-to-be-married couple upon a fan’s request. In it, she revealed her biggest secret that a happy marriage depends on: “Stay vulnerable.” Bell continued, “Vulnerability always begets connection and intimacy. In 10 years, when the dopamine has waned, remember: life is a crazy ride. It’s a privilege to go through it with a partner.”

Bell then elaborated more on her advice, sharing, “Take necessary separateness. It will make your marriage better. Loving someone despite their faults, failings, or character defects is the most powerful loving thing you can do.”

They manage to fall in love with each other over and over again.

In 2020, Bell and Shepard started homeschooling their children. As a primary teacher for them, Bell had everything planned out to a T: “I’m trying to finish all the schoolwork if we can. Really, the priorities are: one thing for your brain, one thing for your body. That’s a way better schedule than whatever color-coded nonsense I tried to instill.”

To her surprise, Shepard took initiative and actively helped her with homeschooling duties. She then shared that seeing him try so hard made her “fall much deeper in love with him.” They really manage to find beautiful moments in the smallest things in their marriage.

They raise their kids as a team.

Bell and Shepard share 2 daughters, born in 2013 and 2014. In order to keep each other sane, they’ve developed a technique they call “tag team.” This means that they both watch their kids separately, but when they start feeling overwhelmed with their designated kid, they switch them. Bell explains that it helps them to be “thoughtful and not reactive” around their daughters.

The couple’s unorthodox approach to their relationship and parenting might not be for everyone, but they embrace it. For example, Bell admitted that when one of her daughters was 5 years old, she was still wearing diapers. So we say whatever works for their family is just a part of their unique parenting style.