Red Flags For Kristen Bell And Dax Shepard's Marriage, According To Our Relationship Coach

The following article includes mentions of addiction.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been together for almost a lifetime in Hollywood standards, but their relationship isn't as picture-perfect as it seems. In fact, the two barely even liked each other when they first met at a mutual friend's birthday dinner. In an interview with Today, Bell revealed, "We were sitting at a table. The only thing I remember is that he talked so much ... and then we left. There were no sparks, whatsoever." As for Shepard, he shared on "Off Camera With Sam Jones" that he wasn't sure he wanted to be with someone as good-hearted as his now-wife.

Despite their initial reactions to each other, Bell and Shepard have managed to stay married for more than 10 years, but according to relationship coach Nicole Moore, founder and CEO of Love Works Method, there are quite a few red flags in the couple's marriage. While everyone comes with their fair share of issues, Moore exclusively shared with Glam all the reasons the "Hit and Run" stars have an uphill battle and why their relationship is far from ideal.

In 2018, Julie Andrews' step-granddaughter, Kayti Edwards, revealed to the Daily Mail that she had a fling with Dax Shepard in 2009 and even shared pics of them making out as proof. The problem was that the podcast host and Kristen Bell had been together since 2007.

In a now-deleted Instagram post (via People), Shephard refuted the rumor by stating that they had hooked up in 2005 before he was with Bell, but the damage had been done. "This is a red flag as the fact that the rumors keep happening may indicate that there's some truth there. Dax has admitted that he broke up with someone he was currently dating to pursue Kristen, which could indicate that he is the type of person to have feelings for multiple people at once," Nicole Moore stated to Glam.

Although there's no hard evidence that Shepard cheated, the rumors likely caused even more mistrust between him and Bell. "It's really difficult for a partner to hear repeated cheating rumors and trust their partner blindly without feeling a nagging sense of fear that the rumors might be true, so it's likely that Kristen is more scared of Dax cheating than she lets on," Moore shared with us. Plus, she posited that Shepard's response to the allegations using humor screamed of deflection.

Dax Shepard has been open about his journey with addiction and sobriety, and in 2020, he revealed on his podcast "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" that he had relapsed after 16 years of sobriety. Following a motorcycle accident, the "Parenthood" actor started taking painkillers and soon began to misuse them. While he eventually came clean to Kristen Bell, relationship expert Nicole Moore thinks this is one major red flag and exclusively told us, "Dax has been honest that he lied to Kristen about relapsing and while he eventually came clean and got support for his addiction, the lying and emotional stress from his relapse likely took a big toll on Kristen."

Moore went on to say that Shepard's addiction is most likely a huge stressor in his marriage to Bell, and initially hiding his relapse from her was bound to cause trust issues. "While it's great that Kristen has always expressed utmost support and understanding for her partner, behind the scenes, she may experience frustration and resentment at the pain his addiction has caused them," the love coach reasoned.

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell have been open about needing couples counseling for their marriage and all the effort they put into maintaining their relationship. While therapy is indeed a positive step toward a healthy marriage, relationship expert Nicole Moore thinks the amount of work Shepard and Bell do has to be exhausting. "While healthy couples do work on their relationship, if a couple needs to constantly work on their relationship to make it work, it's a sign that they may not truly be compatible," she exclusively told Glam.

Moore also noted that Shepard and Bell have no qualms about sharing their struggles, which may indicate that they're not as happy in their marriage as they seem. In fact, the "Veronica Mars" star admitted on "Life is Short with Justin Long" that she and her husband once had a fight so bad that they actually blacked out, which Moore described to us as "extremely toxic."

In the "Life is Short with Justin Long" podcast, Kristen Bell shared that the reason for their blackout fight was that she had left Dax Shepard a note of tasks for him to do while she was out. He later told her that he felt controlled by those notes, which in turn made Bell feel unsupported. "Kristen has shared that some of her and Dax's biggest fights have been about her feeling like she has to do it all on her own and this is a huge red flag," Nicole Moore stated to Glam. "A wife shouldn't have to scream at the top of her lungs to get her husband to help her with the household, so if Kristen had to do that to get his attention, it's likely that she'd been feeling neglected and overly responsible in the partnership for a very long time," she added.

Moore's take is that their relationship may have co-dependent tendencies, which she explains is common when one person is dealing with addiction. "It's possible that she may be taking on more than her share of responsibilities and also taking on Dax's emotional load perhaps, in an attempt to keep the peace," the love coach exclusively told us.

While it's refreshing when celebrities divulge personal info about themselves, Nicole Moore thinks that Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard overshare to the point that it's a waving red flag. "When a relationship becomes so open to public consumption and opinion, the partners may feel a duty to uphold a certain image while the reality of the relationship may be quite different," she stated.

Moore also pointed out that Bell and Shepard discuss their fights, with some of them having been recent events. "Many relationship issues take months or years to fully process so the fact that the couple often shares struggles in real time could indicate that they aren't fully healing their issues but rather distracting from healing by using their issues as content," she shared. In addition, oversharing their problems with their fans takes away any privacy they have as celebrities. There's a reason many choose not to talk about their private lives, so it may be best if Bell and Shepard keep their relationship issues off of social media moving forward.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).