- Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard say therapy is an important part of their marriage.
- The couple explained they're both "stubborn people" who require "outside opinions."
- Bell said not sharing their struggles felt "inauthentic."
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard shared how therapy helped improve their marriage on on ITV's "This Morning."
"The marriage is a disaster but when we work together it's very harmonious," joked Shepard about how the two often get along better professionally.
The "Family Game Night" cohosts have been open about using therapy to maintain their union. "It felt very inauthentic to pretend like it's easy, because it's not, it is so hard," said Bell. "It's a beat down," added Shepard.
Bell and Shepard met in 2007. They married in 2013 after welcoming daughters Lincoln Bell Shepard and Delta Bell Shepard in 2013 year and 2014 year, respectively.
"We met, we fell in love, we're both very stubborn people, and year one and two 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," Bell continued.
Shepard said it was "embarrassingly simple" for their therapist to pinpoint the source of their marital problems after listening to them "argue for six minutes."
"You're an ex-dirtbag. You always think you're in trouble. You get quiet with depression and when you're quiet he thinks he's in trouble and the whole thing blows up," he recalled the therapist saying.
The couple previously discussed the respective toolboxes they touted into their relationship on the first episode of Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, where they shared stories about "growing towards" one another and how they learned to understand one another's needs after coming from families that are "so different."
"This is where an objective outside therapist helps," said Shepard. "Because he can go 'I know exactly what's happening. He's hearing this and you're hearing that.'" The couple explained they'd decided to share their struggles publicly after seeing themselves posted on social media under the popular hashtag #relationshipgoals and wondering if they were part of "the problem."
"We were afraid someone thinks they're gonna meet their Kristen Bell and it's all going to be easy. We just wanted to say it is awesome and it requires daily work," Shepard said. "It's like going to the gym – if you want to change and get a six pack, you have to do the work," Bell added.
Bell is proud to talk about going to therapy and believes others should be too.
"I personally feel like I am not at all embarrassed to say I go to therapy, solo or with him," she said, gesturing to Shepard. "I almost feel like, if you're not in therapy, that's embarrassing."
This was not the first time the couple has opened up about how they work through their relationship challenges. They talked about how they navigate jealousy during a 2021 appearance on the "Drew Barrymore Show." They've also shared that they routinely take time apart and treat having a partner as a privilege.