Why Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes Are ‘Secure’ in Their Romance

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are putting their hearts first while navigating major milestones in their relationship.

“They work so well because they have fun together,” an insider exclusively shares in the newest issue of Us Weekly of the twosome’s romance. “They have a no-drama relationship and can just be themselves.” 

However, while the country star, 29, and Stokes, 30, are “serious,” the source notes that settling down and taking the next big step isn’t on the radar — at least not yet. “They have no plans to get engaged anytime soon,” the insider explains.  

Ballerini, who began dating Stokes in January after her split from ex-husband Morgan Evans, recently revealed she felt “secure” in her six-month relationship with the Outer Banks star — largely crediting him for her newfound happiness. 

“The thing that we’ve decided, and to each their own, is when you’re with someone that you feel secure with and that you’re proud to be with, why not share it?” she gushed to StyleCaster in an interview published earlier this month. “He’s also a Virgo; we’re both Labrador Retrievers in human form. It doesn’t take much conversation to be on the same page. It’s been half a year and it’s been great.”

Ballerini confessed that while she’s been in the spotlight for years due to her music career, the heightened interest in her personal life is a new adjustment. “I’m giving myself a lot of grace,” she told the outlet, joking that her life over the past year has been a “s–tstorm.”

Ballerini and Evans, 38, were married for five years before calling it quits in August 2022. Us confirmed that the pair settled their divorce three months later. While their romance is in the past, the exes have continued to reference their relationship — and what went wrong between them — through their music. 

Evans wrote the breakup anthem “Over for You” in October 2022, while Ballerini penned her response through a six-son EP titled Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, which was released on Valentine’s Day of that same year. 

Despite her new music calling back to her previous relationship, Ballerini has only grown closer to Stokes as she’s continued traveling the country on her Heartfirst Tour. 

Stokes, meanwhile, has echoed his girlfriend’s sentiments about the twosome’s harmonious relationship. “I’ll take the job, I’ll take it,” he told Entertainment Tonight in June of being labeled Ballerini’s “Golden Retriever” boyfriend by fans, noting that his dog, Milo, is a Golden Retriever and German Shepherd mix.

Stokes went on to gush over Ballerini, calling her “the best human being on planet Earth” and “so damn talented.” He continued: “Just to see her music and her shine in the ways that she is in recent times, it’s been beautiful.”

Last month, the actor surprised Ballerini at one of her concerts, leading the singer to pause her song “Penthouse” — a ballad that depicts her crumbling relationship with Evans — and run off the stage to give her beau a passionate kiss. She then pointed to Stokes while singing the lyrics, “I kissed someone new last night.”