When they met fresh off the back of her divorce, Kelsea Ballerini claimed Chase Stokes was the ‘most emotionally intelligent man’ she had ever met.
Unable to suppress their feelings, public declarations – and even in depth conversations about their intimacy – soon followed.
But that love turned toxic, and ultimately their romance wasn’t sustainable. Nashville’s hot young couple then weathered a mini break up before calling it quits for good in September.
Sources at the time told the Daily Mail that Stokes’ jealousy had fueled the split -which was welcomed by Ballerini’s friends, who reportedly saw it as her chance to finally ‘find someone who is right for her.’
Stokes, 33, appeared to accept that the relationship was over when he posted an Instagram story in late November proclaiming his innocence and revealing Ballerini, 32, had ‘blocked’Â him.
‘I’m blocked, I did nothing wrong,’ he told his 7.8 million followers. ‘I tried. I’m sorry for those who believed in us. It is what it is. Onwards and upwards.’
Chase Stokes (left) and Kelsea Ballerini (right) have had an on-off relationship since they started dating in January 2023Â
Earlier this month, Stokes, 33, suggested that Ballerini (pictured), 32, had blocked him as he protested his innocence and apologized to followers who had ‘believed in us’Â
But whether driven by jealousy or a genuine belief that they are meant to be, the Daily Mail has since learned Stokes is plotting to win back his country-singing ex, much to the chagrin of her closest pals.
‘He is taking the breakup very hard,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘He’s hoping that the holidays will be a way back in and he is trying to get her back, but she hasn’t let him. But there is a thing about persistence – it seems to work.’
For the most part, Ballerini has maintained a modicum of silence in the wake of their split – a marked change from her openness while they were together.
‘He’s the most emotionally intelligent man I’ve ever met in my life,’ she said of Stokes on a November 2023 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast. ‘I keep telling him he’s a man written by a woman.’
She even went so far as to discuss their sex life, applauding him for his approach compared to previous love interests.
‘My experience with [sex] was very performative, and for the other person,’ Ballerini recalled. ‘It don’t be like that anymore. I didn’t understand how [sex] could be a real connector in a relationship – I always thought it was just something that you did. Now, I realize it’s a connector for people.’
Ballerini got together with Stokes following her divorce from Australian country singer Morgan Evans. The pair had tied the knot in Mexico in 2017 when she was 24 and he was 32.
Stokes fueled split speculation by sharing a string of cryptic posts to his Instagram Stories (pictured), which he later deleted
But whether driven by jealousy or a genuine belief that they are meant to be, the Daily Mail has since learned Stokes is plotting to win back his country-singing ex (The couple pictured April 2024)
But by August 2022 they announced they were divorcing, and it wasn’t long before Ballerini started dating Stokes, who was recently out of a relationship with his Outer Banks co-star Madelyn Cline.
By January 2023 the new pair were pictured getting cozy at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with Stokes ‘soft launching’ their romance on Instagram. From then on, the two were seemingly unable to satiate their hunger for one another.
Their Instagram pages were full of pictures documenting their infatuation – red carpets played host to their public displays of affection – and Stokes quickly became Ballerini’s biggest cheerleader, supporting her appearance on SNL and surprising her while on the road.Â
After both publicly celebrated their anniversary in January 2024, the once consistent slew of pictures seemingly stopped out of nowhere, leading to rumors of a split. Some fans wondered if her TikTok posting about finding peace was referencing a potential breakup, while others questioned if a trip she took to Paris was a post-break up girls’ getaway.
They quashed the chatter when they walked the red carpet on May 8 at the Academy of Country Music Awards, but the relationship was not so picture-perfect. Ballerini described herself and Stokes as ‘yin and yang’ and hinted at struggles during an interview that July.
‘I think we’re two and a half years in, so [the relationship] looks a lot different now than it did in the beginning,’ she told Us Weekly. ‘I just want all the good things in the world for him.’
She also gave insight into why they hadn’t been spotted together, saying their schedules ‘flip flopped’ and that he had a ‘heavy summer’ while shooting Outer Banks.
The pair finally split in September, but sparked reconciliation rumors in October when they were spotted together in Edinburgh, Scotland. One eyewitness claimed they looked ‘very much loved-up’ and were ‘holding hands at the bar.’
‘He is taking the breakup very hard,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘He’s hoping that the holidays will be a way back in and he is trying to get her back, but she hasn’t let him’
‘Kelsea’s friends are crossing their fingers that their breakup is forever,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘They feel that she is way better off with him not around’ (The couple are pictured in November 2024)
At the risk of giving fans whiplash from the back and forth, Stokes is still not done with the romance, according to our source – but Ballerini’s friends are hoping she is.
‘Kelsea’s friends are crossing their fingers that their breakup is forever,’ the insider said. ‘They feel that she is way better off with him not around. He always seemed to stunt everything she did, and though she may have been in love, she wasn’t the happy person her friends knew her as when she was around him.Â
‘With him always being so jealous, it always added a different layer to any group hangout.’
Ballerini, though, seems to be moving on. Fans were convinced her red Christian Siriano gown at the CMAs earlier this month was her ‘revenge dress’ moment.Â
‘I wouldn’t count them out for trying again,’ our source said. ‘Currently that is not happening, but if they do, her friends wouldn’t agree with it and would like her to stay away.’
