Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard Didn’t Exactly Have Love at First Sight

Dax Shepard was taken aback by Kristen Bell‘s “unbridled happiness” when they first met in 2007 at a birthday dinner for mutual friends.

The duo, who married in October 2013 in Los Angeles, are one of Hollywood’s most adorable couples, but it was not love at first sight.

“When I met her and her friends, I was suspicious of their unbridled happiness,” he told Good Housekeeping magazine. “I thought, ‘Something stinks here; they’re in a cult.’”

Things quickly changed later, and they began dating in late 2007. The couple have two daughters together, Lincoln, 3 1/2, and Delta, 2.

The actor, 41, who battled substance abuse, celebrated 12 years of sobriety in September.

In a touching Tweet, he noted how the decision to get clean in 2004 led him to Bell, 36, and their family.

“12 years ago today I came out of my last toxic, life threatening stupor,” he wrote. “I now have a wife & babies & some self-esteem #gratitude #promises.”

This article originally appeared on People.com