Dax Shepard on Why He and Kristen Bell Make a Point to Discuss the Ups and Downs of Their Marriage

Nathan Congleton/NBC/Getty Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell want to be as honest as possible about their relationship.

While appearing on Sunday Today with Willie Geist, Shepard, 46, opened up about why he and Bell, 40, make a point of talking candidly about their ups and downs.

"We don't want anyone to think we met and it's been easy 'cause if that's someone's expectation of a relationship and certainly a marriage, it's a bad expectation to have," he said.

The couple, who tied the knot in 2013, share two children, daughters Lincoln, 7, and Delta, 6.

Shepard went on to joke that in order to get a little more alone time, he might tell Bell that his interview with Geist "went another half hour longer."

"If Kristen asks, I'll say we went long," Geist added with a laugh.

Bell, who has been spending more time with Shepard at home than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recently opened up to PEOPLE about the work they put in to keep their marriage strong.

"Dax and I, when we started this pandemic, were at a point in our marriage where we definitely needed a little therapy brush-up," the actress shared.

"Every couple of years, we're like, 'We're being very antagonistic towards each other,' and we don't want that," she added. "We go back to therapy and figure out what I'm not doing that's best for you and what you're not doing that's best for me, and how we can serve this team goal better. It's been incredibly helpful."

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Bell has also credited her husband with encouraging her to open up about her struggles with anxiety and depression.

"My husband was like, yeah, talk about that. And I realized I had been presenting this like, bubbly individual, and it just wasn't the full story. It didn't have the dimension," she said on a December episode of The Backstory podcast.

"I want to be the person who talks honestly and says, 'I get what I present to you, it's not always the case,' " the Good Place star added. "So if you're feeling that too, just know that I'm right here with you."