A high-profile country pop singer and her Netflix star beau are calling it quits. Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes, both 32, have ended their nearly three-year relationship.
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“They’re two adults who gave it their all and tried to do everything they could to make it work, but ultimately couldn’t. It happens,” an insider told PEOPLE, who confirmed the split with a rep.
The country singer and Outer Banks actor first sparked dating rumors in January 2023 when Stokes shared a photo of them at the Georgia vs. TCU game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
According to PEOPLE, after hinting at their relationship in several interviews, they officially confirmed their romance in April 2023 by walking the red carpet together at the CMT Awards.
Meanwhile, Ballerini had previously attributed their infrequent public appearances to their conflicting schedules, citing Stokes’ demanding filming commitments for Outer Banks.
An Alleged Insider Details the Rift Between Singer Kelsea Ballerini and Her Actor Ex-Beau
However, behind the scenes, their relationship was less harmonious. Insiders alleged that the relationship started strong but faltered as Stokes grew increasingly suspicious of the singer’s independence.
“Chase started getting jealous over every little thing,” one source claimed, per Cosmopolitan. “Every time she would be doing her own thing, he’d think she was flirting or up to no good.”
The source added, “Ballerini wanted fun and a future, but they just would fall into disagreements and then his jealousy would kick in.”
The Daily Mail reported that Ballerini’s much higher profile career may have fueled Stokes’ insecurities. Ultimately, they both decided to end the relationship rather than continue fighting.
Meanwhile, Ballerini shared her thoughts on relationships with PEOPLE earlier this year.
“I look at love really practically now, and somehow it’s my favorite version of it,” the singer told the outlet then. “I didn’t really have an example of what a solid relationship looked like in my developmental years; I learned the hard way.”
“Now my version of love that I’ve found, it’s steady and it’s human, and we work on it. That, to me, honestly, is the sexiest thing, like, ‘Hey, you want to go to therapy? Let’s go to therapy.’ Being so down with your person to put in the work for each other and individually, it’s a very new kind of love for me,” she added.