NEED TO KNOW
Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes have rolled up the welcome mat.
The singer-songwriter and the actor, both 32, have split after nearly three years together, a rep for Ballerini confirms to PEOPLE.
“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,” sources close to the couple tell PEOPLE exclusively.
The country star and Outer Banks actor initially sparked dating rumors in January 2023 after Stokes shared a cuddly photo of them at the Georgia vs. TCU game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Eventually, after teasing their relationship in a handful of interviews, they went public with their romance in April 2023 while walking the red carpet at the CMT Awards.
In September 2024, Stokes told PEOPLE that he kept his relationship with her going strong by “never going more than three weeks” without seeing her.
“If we need to make the effort to show up when one’s across the country, we do it,” he said. “The amount of effort that we put into our careers, we should be doubling that in our personal lives.”
Jeff Kravitz/Getty
Added Stokes: “It’s not always easy and it’s not always convenient, but having a big, beautiful life didn’t come from convenience or ease.”
In an interview for Women’s Health in October 2024, Ballerini opened up about her latest album, Patterns, which encompassed “the nuance” of falling in love with Stokes.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It’s the in-between moments,” she said. “How do we get to the happy-go-lucky, mushy-gushy phase? This is the process, but it took a lot of sorting through baggage together. I think we’re both really proud of that.”
Last week, Stokes celebrated Ballerini’s birthday on Instagram with a carousel photo tribute.
“Although you keep saying you’re not excited for 32, I’d say I’m lookin forward to more of this. happy birthday my love ❤️,” he wrote.
In a cover story with PEOPLE earlier this year, Ballerini reflected on her approach to relationships.
“I look at love really practically now, and somehow it’s my favorite version of it,” she said. “I didn’t really have an example of what a solid relationship looked like in my developmental years. I learned the hard way.”
Ballerini continued: “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.”
