Kelsea Ballerini Talks ‘Hard Feelings’ Ahead of 1st Christmas Post-Divorce

Baring her soul. Kelsea Ballerini got real about the highs and lows that come with the Christmas season — after finalizing her divorce from Morgan Evans last month.

“Hi,” Ballerini, 29, captioned a social media selfie on Monday, December 19. “Sending you a hug.”

The “Peter Pan” songstress confessed: “Holidays can be both a beautiful time and also bring up some big, hard feelings. Don’t forget it’s OK to feel it all.”

She reminded her fans to “protect those precious hearts bbs,” before wishing them a “Merry Christmas week.”

The “Hole in the Bottle” singer’s heartfelt message came just weeks after what would have been her and Evans’ five-year wedding anniversary. The pair — who tied the knot on December 2, 2017 — finalized their divorce on November 15.

“The truth is that this morning I started my day at the courthouse finalizing my divorce,” the Tennessee native told her fans during a November performance at the Grand Ole Opry after the emotional day. “And then getting nominated for a Grammy, and then getting the keys to my dream home, and now standing in the circle of the Opry.”

The musician, who earned a Grammy nod for “Heartfirst” earlier that morning, added: “And s—t, if that ain’t country music, I don’t know what is.”

Ballerini got real about how draining the experience was, saying in an Instagram Story video, “If country music is the truth of life, here’s mine. What a damn day.”

The “Half of My Hometown” songstress initially confirmed her split from the Australian musician in August after more than four years of marriage.

“They’ve been working on their marriage for many years and have even tried therapy,” an insider exclusively told Us Weekly at the time, noting that the duo “privately separated at one point” before giving their relationship another shot. The pair, who started dating in March 2016, “ultimately decided that they had no choice but to officially separate,” the source added.

In early November, Ballerini and Evans were spotted “keeping their distance” at the 2022 Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, an eyewitness exclusively told Us.

The “Miss Me More” singer and the country crooner “were not see together at all — and never crossed paths” at the November 9 awards show, the insider added. A few days later, their divorce was officially done and Ballerini gushed over her new bachelorette pad.

“Made it home. To myself. To what’s ahead,” she wrote via Instagram on November 16, while sitting in her house alone. “Let’s unpack and stay awhile.”