Kelsea Ballerini is "really, really happy" dating Chase Stokes.
Kelsea Ballerini makes her red carpet debut with Chase Stokes
The 29-year-old star was initially married to fellow country music singer Morgan Evans from 2019 until 2022 but following their split has struck up a relationship with 'Outer Banks' actor Chase, 30, and joked that she had a really "hot date" as the pair made their red carpet debut at the CMT Awards on Sunday (02.04.23.)
She told PEOPLE: "I have a really hot date tonight. I'm really really happy and it's really nice to... this is our first outing so I'm like, 'Come on into my world and then bring me into Charleston [where Outer Banks shoots].' I don't know if it's the big moments on TV or where I am in my life or what it is, but I feel really good. I'm happy to be here and the show is amazing."
The 'Blindsided' hitmaker - who confirmed her relationship with Chase in January this year - recently admitted that she knew her marriage to Morgan Evans was over when she realised she "wasn't ready for kids".
Speaking on the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast, Kelsea said: "That was something that we had talked about early on, and that was something that I was changing on.
"Cause he was ready. He was like, 'I don't want to be an old dad,' is what he kept saying. And I was like, 'I'm not there yet, and I can't do that to save this and give you something that I'm not ready for.'"
Kelsea secretly visited her doctor to discuss freezing her eggs, and eventually went for dinner with the 37-year-old singer to tell him she wanted to undergo the procedure when she turned 30, which led to a fatal "shift" in their marriage because it confirmed they were "on different pages".
She said: "It was not a good day. And I think that was when I was like, there's a fundamental difference here that has happened, that has shifted. And it's no longer like, I don't see this person, I miss this person, I'm alone, I'm lonely. It's like, he wants something out of life… [and] I'm not there.
"And whether I'll get there or not, I don't think it's with this person if it is. And I think internally in hindsight, that's where I went like, 'I think maybe we need to rethink this, Kels.' "