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Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard might be “relationship goals” nowadays, but there was a time when the two stars were just embarking on their celebrity romance. Bell and Shepard are known for their ability to lay out the details of their relationship for fans, talking openly about therapy and how hard they have worked to get to a good place. One of their secrets to longevity is their unique habit of working together when possible. In fact, one of their most popular collaborations was early on in their relationship, right after the two had gotten engaged

When did Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard start dating?

Dax Shepard dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie with Kristen Bell dressed in a solid black dress in front of a Golden Globe Award sign.
Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell | Christopher Polk/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

Bell and Shepard’s romance dates back to 2007 when the two crossed paths for the first time at a mutual friend’s dinner party. Interestingly enough, Bell and Shepard didn’t experience immediate chemistry, and it wasn’t until after they encountered each other a second time, some weeks later, that they decided to start dating.

The early days of Shepard and Bell’s romance were fraught with drama, with Bell later admitting, as reported by Brides Magazine, that “We’d get in a fight because we’d fight a lot, and I’d yell something and then slam the bedroom door, then I’d slam the front door, then I’d get in my car and then I’d skid out the driveway and I would sit around the corner in my car and it felt so good and I realized how incredibly toxic it was only after he pointed it out.”

Fortunately, Bell and Shepard finally entered a more calm stage in their relationship, and by early 2009, engagement rumors started swirling. Later that year, in December, Bell and Shepard announced that they were planning on getting married. 

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard were engaged when they co-starred in ‘When in Rome’

Shepard and Bell have collaborated several times over the years, with their first being in 2010, just months after they got engaged. The two co-starred in the romantic comedy When in Rome, a lighthearted film that starred Kristen Bell as a young woman who encounters numerous suitors when on a trip to Rome. 

Shepard’s role in When in Rome wasn’t large, as he played one of Bell’s rejected suitors, but he still made an impression on viewers with his comic timing and gift for physical humor. In the years that followed, the two actors would get the chance to work together several more times. 

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have collaborated on several occasions

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According to Newsweek, Bell and Shepard’s work on When in Rome was only the first in their professional collaborations. In 2012, the two played boyfriend and girlfriend in the action-comedy Hit and Run. Five years later, after the two were married, Bell starred alongside her husband in his passion project CHiPS, a film that unfortunately didn’t receive great reviews from critics.

Most recently, Bell and Shepard decided to embark on a brand-new television venture, co-hosting the NBC game show Family Game Fight, a series that not only spotlights the couple’s sense of comedic timing but allows others to get in on the fun as well. In addition to their collaborations onscreen, Bell and Shepard have launched a children’s product line called Hello Bello, a line that carries items from lotion and diapers to all-natural rash cream and sunscreen. Certainly, Bell and Shepard have managed to not only create a solid home life but a strong professional partnership as well.