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Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes called it quits after nearly three years of dating.
The breakup between the Patterns superstar and the Outer Banks actor shocked many fans who followed the story of the couple’s romance from the beginning. Neither Ballerini, 32, nor Stokes, 33, have publicly spoken about the split as of publication time on Tuesday morning (September 23).
Ballerini was spotted in public over the weekend, spending a few hours at a salon in Nashville, Tennessee, E! News first reported on Monday (September 22). An unnamed source told US Weekly that Ballerini and Stokes had “been arguing a lot recently, and their communication wasn’t great in the last month. They were both traveling so much and trying to juggle everything, and the arguments piled up.” The singer-songwriter reportedly “initiated the conversation,” and she and the actor were “mature adults and had the same understanding that they needed space. There is still a lot of love between them, (and they) were trying to make it work.”
Unnamed sources “close to the couple” confirmed to PEOPLE on September 14 that Ballerini and Stokes broke up. That source said the two stars are “two adults who gave it their all and tried to do everything they could to make it work, but ultimately couldn’t. It happens.”
The breakup surprised many fans, particularly when Stokes shared a sweet birthday tribute to “my love,” Ballerini, two days before news of the split broke. Ballerini and Stokes started talking when the “HEARTFIRST” artist slid into Stokes’ DMs on Instagram in December 2022. They first sparked dating rumors when Stokes posted a photo sitting closely with Ballerini at the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2023 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Shortly after the dating rumors started, Ballerini confirmed the new relationship in an interview on Call Her Daddy. The couple shared sweet tributes to one another in January 2025 as they marked two years of dating. Ballerini said at that time it’d been, “two years of catching each other in countless cities, perfecting a chimichurri steak, and creating a world that revolves around dogs. love you so, teammate. 🤍.”