Celebrity couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are better known for the hilarious hijinks they get themselves into , but a recent post by the former Punk’d star to his Tumblr pulls the heartstrings more than it tickles the funny bone.
On his account, Shepard details the final days of his father, Dave, who was struggling with cancer. One particular visit saw a touching scene where Dax’s pregnant girlfriend Kristen Bell bonded with Dave, and allowed him to touch her belly.
“At one point, and unbeknownst to both of us, my wife walked into the room,” writes Shepard. “She had flown in from L.A. [to Detroit] without any warning. It was a surprise. It was an amazing, incredible, perfectly timed surprise. She lifted her shirt up and he put his hand on her swollen stomach. He left it there for the better part of an hour.”
Note: Shepard refers to Bell as his “wife,” but it is still unclear whether the two have actually married. They have said in the past that they don’t plan on tying the knot until gay marriage celebrates broader legality.
Dax continues:
“He [Dave] was smiling from ear to ear, sitting contently, unable to put together a sentence, but still capable of connecting to the new family member we were creating. He wasn’t going to make it to the birth, but that didn’t get in the way of him meeting the new baby. It was an emotional and triumphant moment. One I will never forget. If I live to be a thousand, I will still be in debt to my wife for giving him that one last thrill.”
Dave passed away last year at the age of 62, and Dax was very open about his often-difficult relationship with his father growing up.
“One of the hidden benefits of cancer is that it can erode grudges the way WD-40 dissolves rust,” Dax writes. “It just finds its way into all the nooks and crannies and starts loosening.”
Dax’s essay has elicited a very warm and positive response from fans, causing the star to thank them via his Twitter account:
Reading all of these beautiful responses has been overwhelming in the most glorious way. Thank you to everyone who read and shared back.
— dax shepard (@daxshepard1) March 21, 2013
Are you a fan of Dax Shepard? You can read his entire Tumblr post, titled “My Father’s Horniness,” here.