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Dax Shepard Reveals He Was Molested As A Child, Wife Kristen Bell Shares Her Thoughts

By Pam Wright
Published on: 03:28 PST, Apr 23, 2016

Dax Shepard has taken a brave step in coming forward and revealing that he was molested as a child.

The 41-year-old Parenthood actor talked about the aftermath of being molested by an 18-year-old neighbor when he was just 7-years-old on Sirius XM’s The Jason Ellis Show, on Monday.

Ellis initiated the topic when he shared how he was sexually abused by his own father, to which Shepard opened up about his own experience.

“It took me 12 years to tell anyone. And then all that time, I was like … ‘It’s my fault,’ as generic as that is, I’m like, I’m gay, I must have manifested this because I’m secretly gay.’ I had all these insane thoughts for 11 years or 12 years.”

Shepard described the molestation as “minimal” and said he feels it was a contributing factor in his struggle with addiction later in life, according to USA Today.

Shephard said he encountered a bit of a breakthrough when he learned from his mother, who is a court-appointed advocate for foster children, about the link between sexual abuse and addiction.

“If you’ve been molested, you only have a 20 percent chance of not being an addict. And I was like, ‘Hm, interesting,’ because in my mind I just like to have a f—–g great time. But when you hear a statistic like that, I’m like, ‘Oh no, I was going to be an addict, period.'”

Shepard has been sober since 2004.

Shepard’s adorable wife, Kristen Bell, told Us Weekly that her husband felt compelled to share his story to help others.

“Well, in truth, he has dealt with it many, many years ago. It wasn’t a moment he revealed. It’s a lifestyle he lives, where he’s honest and brave. The entirety of the radio show, he was relating to the host who had a similar revelation, and they were communicating.”

While it may come as a revelation to some, Bell noted that Shepard has alway been open about the incident and praised her husband for being so forthcoming.

“I think that to me is the more profound thing that he does talk about it. Anytime someone can admit a vulnerability, and it can be helpful to others, it should be done when said person is ready. That emotion is maybe one of the most profound ones we have. I, particularly, I’m taken with vulnerability when you’re in any sort of conflict. If you come at the other person, come back to the other person with vulnerability, you can never lose. It always makes the situation better.”

The couple is without a doubt one of the cutest in Hollywood. The Internet practically broke when they posted a homemade music video they recorded during a trip to Africa. However, Bell says, like most couples, it’s not always an easy road being married to Dax Shepard.

“It’s not utter bliss. We should remind the world that we do fight. We love each other to the moon and back, but we do have a lot of road bumps.”

Bell, 35, who shares two children with Dax, told Redbook magazine that the key to making their union work is compromise.

“Marriage and a relationship is hard work, and it’s a lot of compromise. But if you compromise a lot, it’s worth it, and you’ll be able to make African vacation music videos.”

[Image via The Associated Press]

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