EXCLUSIVE: Inside Country Cutie Kelsea Ballerini's Shock Split From 'Outer Banks' Hunk Chase Stokes — 'He's Too Career Driven for Her and Needs Someone More Low-key'

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes' split has shocked fans.
Oct. 29 2025, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Tough cookie Kelsea Ballerini refuses to mope after her split from Outer Banks star Chase Stokes – and now the Miss Me More singer plans to steer clear of guys who aren't part of the country music scene, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
"She's staying positive and determined to be true to herself and not fall down the spiral of feeling sorry for herself," an insider claimed.
Strokes 'Wasn't a Match' with Ballerini

Stokes' jealousy reportedly strained his relationship with country star Ballerini.
"She's sad it didn't work out with Chase, but she's been blessed with such a strong support network. Friends are telling her that she'll find the right man in time."
In July, 32-year-old Ballerini seemed to hint that all was not well with Stokes, 33, when she told an interviewer, "I think we're two and a half years in, so [the relationship] looks a lot different now than it did in the beginning."
The insider explained: "She realized in hindsight Chase wasn't a match, and she's better off with a guy from her own world – a plain, old-fashioned country gentleman, a guy less full of himself and not bound by the fake world of Hollywood."
Did Strokes Trust Ballerini?

Friends said Ballerini is focusing on positivity and leaning on her support circle after the split.

"Chase is a cool enough guy, but a little too career-driven for Kelsea. She needs someone more low-key and not drawn by superficial stuff. She realizes that may sound like an insult to Chase, but they were just two very different people who couldn't gel with each other," the source added.
Yet others said the screen stud's alleged jealousy played a part in the breakup, as Ballerini couldn't put up with it anymore.
"They would spend days and weeks apart, and he'd grill her on where she was, what she was doing, and with whom. It's like he didn't trust her. It got to be a point of contention," the insider claimed.
"It's heartbreaking ... because she still loved him."



