Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini at the CMA Awards




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Kelsea Bellerini isn’t blindsided by the fact that she’s spending Valentine’s Day without her boyfriend, Chase Stokes. The “Penthouse” artist, 30, explained in a new interview why she and the Outer Banks star, 31, aren’t physically together on the day that celebrates love. 

“He’s filming. I’m recording,” Kelsea told E! on Tuesday, February 13 at the Michael Kors Collection Fall/Winter 2024 show in New York City. “We’re both with our second loves, which is work. Our first loves really — until we knew each other.” 

The country music icon also pointed out that Valentine’s Day isn’t the only day for her and Chase to show their affection for one another. She explained to the outlet that the actor uses sweet gestures in “everything” he does for her “all the time.” 

Aside from her boyfriend, Kelsea is also celebrating the love for her friends, including Taylor Swift, whose relationship with football player Travis Kelce has blossomed.  

“Oh, I want love for everyone. I’m so happy for them,” Kelsea added during her interview. 

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini
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Last year, the “Peter Pan” singer opened up about how her romance with Chase was going, noting that the Netflix actor isn’t “afraid to be vulnerable” with her. 

“He’s, like, the most emotionally intelligent man I’ve ever met in my life,” Kelsea told Alex Cooper during her November 2023 “Call Her Daddy” interview. “I keep telling him he’s a man written by a woman ’cause he was raised by his mom, and he’s very close with his sister. He’s just so in tune with his emotions and is not afraid to be vulnerable.”

Some couples get matching tattoos and end up splitting, but Kelsea pointed out that she and Chase “can’t break up” now because of this and the fact that they have matching zodiac signs. 

“We have matching tattoos, so we can’t break up,” she joked. “We have little Virgos. … I used to really resent my Virgo-ness because to me it was very control freak, just needing power in a lot of situations in relationships. And he’s a Virgo too, and he and I have really allowed ourselves to love that part of ourselves and each other: just the need to communicate well and be loyal.” 

Kelsea and Chase first sparked dating rumors in early 2023. Before they met, Kelsea was married to her ex-husband, Morgan Evans, from 2017 to 2022. For his part, Chase was in an on-and-off relationship with his Outer Banks co-star Madelyn Cline from 2020 through 2022. Though they broke up, the castmates made it a point to maintain an amicable working relationship for the sake of their successful series.