Photo: Variety
Kelsea Ballerini is extremely happy to be doing life with boyfriend and Outer Banks star, Chase Stokes.
The adorable pair stunned on the CMT Awards red carpet together last Sunday (April 7) before Ballerini carried out her fourth year of hosting duties. The "If You Go Down" songstress chatted with E! News before the show, diving into first date jitters and sharing details about her budding romance. Ballerini was sure to give her attentive beau credit for constantly showing up for her wins over the last year.
"Oh you know, our first event together was the CMT Awards the year before and so it kind of felt like a little full circle and we've gotten to live a lot of life together in that year. And for him to be able to support me...he literally caught a flight before the show was over to get back to work the next day. So yeah. Yeah that's right! He shows up."
The standout revealed that she and Stokes have gotten to do a lot of "amazing" things together in their first year dating, but it is the simple moments that they enjoy the most.
"You know, we've gotten to do a lot of amazing stuff. I think our favorite thing is like being home in Nashville or Charleston and playing Yahtzee and hanging out with our dogs. But we have gotten to like go to amazing events together and take a couple of really amazing trips. So we try to find a good balance and we do our best."
So, what exactly is the secret to finding a love like Ballerini and Stokes'? The artist highlighted the importance of loving yourself before starting a relationship with someone else.
"Go in knowing that you've got you. If it works... it's meant to and if it doesn't, you still got you!" Ballerini will always have herself, but now, she also has Stokes and is very pleased with where things are going.
"We're so happy, we both have big lives and we're both trying to like weave through it together and give each other our own space to thrive and grow." She charmingly revealed that she knew Stokes was "the one" from the very moment he stepped out of his Bronco to pick her up for their first date in 2023.
Fans can catch Ballerini on tour at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee for her next performance on April 16th!