Photo: Getty Images
Kelsea Ballerini opened up about her relationship with Chase Stokes on the red carpet at the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday evening (February 1).
Ballerini caught up with Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner, who told her, “I’m very happy that you and Chase decided to fight for love.” News broke in September 2025 that Ballerini, 32, and Stokes, 33, parted ways after more than two years of dating. For months, rumors circulated about whether the couple reconciled. They confirmed on New Year’s Eve that they’d rekindled their relationship.
“It looked a lot more dramatic than it was. And that was quite the learning lesson for us,” Ballerini said of the brief breakup. “But he’s — I love him so much. We’ve been together for quite a while now, and done a lot of life together. And I love love, and I believe in it. And I also, I believe so much in finding the things that make you happy, and finding the things that you want to work on and figuring out when the rubber meets the road, how to make that work.”
Turner spotlighted Ballerini’s “cutest little blushing grin,” when she talks about the Outer Banks star. “It’s OK to be in love, and we give up too easily, so it’s OK to fight for love.”
“No, I know! I know. That’s one of my habits,” Ballerini said. “I’m a cut-and-ghoster, but I’m not anymore. So, thank you, internet. Goodbye!” Watch the interview clip here.
Ballerini started talking with Stokes when she slid into his DMs in December 2022. They began dating in January 2023, and first sparked relationship rumors when Stokes posted a photo sitting closely with the Patterns superstar at the College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Ballerini confirmed the new romance in an interview on Call Her Daddy. She previously told Entertainment Tonight that the “hottest part” about dating Stokes is he’s “really proud of his relationship.”