Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes Get Cosy On CMT Music Awards Red Carpet Debut

Country music singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini and her new beau, Chase Stokes made their red carpet debut at the CMT Music Awards. Seen getting cosy and laughing together, Ballerini wore a corseted grey dress with white straps and pointed heels, while Stokes donned a singlet and casual navy suit with white pipping.

Since January, Ballerini has been linked to the Outer Banks actor. The pair first sparked dating rumours after Stokes posted a photo of them getting cosy at a college football game.

Following a preview of the Call Her Daddy podcast in February, in which Ballerini confirmed that she was in a relationship, Stokes shared an image in his Instagram Story of Ballerini kissing him on the cheek. “imy❤️,” (I miss you) he wrote.

In the podcast, Ballerini revealed she made the first move when she slid into his DMs. 

"I was ready to open back up," she said. "I just felt, why not? I've never really dated; I don't know how it works. I'm like, 'Let's just put ourselves out there; let's just vibe.' And it's been fun."

In August 2022, Ballerini announced she and fellow country music singer-songwriter, Morgan Evans were divorcing after almost five years of marriage.

In a statement posted to Instagram stories, she wrote:

"Friends, I've always tried my best to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold. This is now public record, so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce. This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end.

It's hard to find the words here...but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons. With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing, and showing up the best we can.”

The country singers first met in March 2016 while co-hosting the CMC Awards. They wed in December 2017 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico after a year-long engagement.

The CMT Music Awards – which are broadcasting live right now (at the time of publication) from Austin, Texas’ Moody Center – sees Ballerini co-hosting country music’s only fan-voted awards show with Kane Brown. Ballerini is also scheduled to perform and is nominated for ‘Female Video of the Year’ and ‘Video of the Year’ for HEARTFIRST.

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Keep up to date with Kelsea Ballerini on her Facebook page here.