Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are ending things.
The country music star and Outer Banks breakout have broken up after nearly three years together, a source close to Ballerini confirms to PEOPLE.
“They’re two adults who gave it their all and tried to do everything they could to make it work, but ultimately couldn’t. It happens,” the source shared.
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Ballerini and Stokes.
The breakup comes as a surprise — at least to the 7.8 million followers of Stokes’ Instagram account, where just two days ago he shared a carousel of photos of the couple in honor of Ballerini turning 32.
“Although you keep saying you’re not excited for 32, id say I’m lookin forward to more of this. happy birthday my love ❤️” he wrote.
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Ballerini first rose to prominence in 2017, when her sophomore album Unapologetically scored five No. 1 singles on Billboard’s country charts and ended up netting Ballerini a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. Stokes, meanwhile, appeared in small roles on series like Stranger Things and Tell Me Your Secrets before landing the lead role in the Netflix treasure-hunting drama Outer Banks, which premiered in 2020.
Ballerini was married to Australian country star Morgan Evans from 2017-2022; just months after the divorce was finalized, Ballerini sparked dating rumors with Stokes.
Fans first suspected Ballerini and Stokes may have begun dating in January 2023, when Stokes shared a photo depicting him and Ballerini sitting close together at a Georgia vs. TCU game held at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.
They made it official by walking arm in arm down the red carpet at the 2023 CMT Awards that April. The couple frequently shared glimpses of their life together on their respective social media accounts and commented on the relationship in interviews, like this past October, when Ballerini revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she “slid into” Stokes’ DMs in 2023 after seeing him be “so lovely” to a young fan on a flight.
In January, Stokes celebrated their second anniversary, writing on Instagram, “2 laps around the sun with you, i love you kb.”
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