Before Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes officially drew the curtain on their romance, they had been basking in the glow of celebrating significant milestones side by side. Just a mere two days prior to a representative for the "Dibs" singer confirming to E! News that she and the Outer Banks heartthrob had called it quits on their nearly three-year relationship, Chase had marked Kelsea's 32nd birthday with a heartfelt message that seemed to envision a future still entwined with his.
"Although you keep saying you’re not excited for 32," Chase captioned his Sept. 12 Instagram photo dump, which was a delightful medley of moments – a cozy New York Knicks date night, a candid selfie on a private jet, and a playful photo of their shadows flipping the bird. "I’d say I’m lookin’ forward to more of this," he added, sealing the sentiment with a tender, "Happy birthday my love." Yet, as fate would have it, this year appears to herald the dawn of Kelsea's new chapter as a single woman.
In the weeks preceding their split, whispers of a breakup had swirled around the couple when Kelsea erased some social media posts featuring Chase. However, Chase seemed to quell the rumors with a sweet snapshot of her dog, Dibs, shared on his own platform. Since publicly acknowledging their romance in March 2023, Chase, who turns 33 on Sept. 16, had frequently given fans an intimate peek into their love story, with romantic red carpet appearances and affectionate social media shoutouts. But as the Uglies actor had previously emphasized, those public displays were merely a glimpse into their shared world.
"Sometimes it feels like maybe it's an oversharing situation, or maybe there's a lot of details," Chase confided to E! News last September, "but I truthfully believe that my personal life is really, really private. For the most part, I still feel like I have a really good grasp on my privacy." After all, both Chase and Kelsea were no strangers to the spotlight's glare on their romantic endeavors. He had dated his Outer Banks co-star Madelyn Cline for a year before their 2021 breakup, while the "Cowboys Cry Too" singer had finalized her divorce from ex-husband Morgan Evans in 2022.
Beyond navigating the complexities of life under the public eye together, Chase had also served as a muse for Kelsea's 2024 album, Patterns, including her song "First Rodeo." "He's such a pillar of this record and obviously of my life," Kelsea shared with E! News in October 2024. "I feel like it was this beautiful ode to him and to us." By that point, nearly two years into their journey together, they were undeniably relishing the ride.
"We've both learned a lot from it," she continued, "and we've both really challenged each other to become a better partner for each other, and also just for ourselves. We're proper teammates now."
