Kelsea Ballerini and her new beau Chase Stokes made things as official as can be when they walked the red carpet together at the 2023 CMT Music Awards on April 2.
Their romance has been a whirlwind: they were first spotted together in January, and confirmed their relationship in March.
© Getty ImagesIt comes not long after Kelsea's divorce from Australian singer Morgan Evans, who she was married to from 2017 to 2022. Read on to learn more about their relationship and what happened to their marriage.
Who is Kelsea Ballerini's ex-husband?
37-year-old Morgan Evans, born in Newcastle, started off his career as part of a rock band named Extortion before flying down to Nashville as a country singer in 2007 to sign a solo record deal with Sony BMG that included writing new songs and even opening for Taylor Swift's first Australian tour.
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He released his debut studio album in 2014 and won a CMA Award that same year, achieving his American breakthrough with 2017's "Kiss Somebody."
© Getty ImagesWhen did Kelsea Ballerini meet Morgan Evans?
Kelsea first met Morgan back in March of 2016 when they hosted Australia's Country Music Channel Awards together.
The two dated for 10 months before Morgan got down on one knee, and they tied the knot on December 2, 2017 in Mexico surrounded by friends and family.
© InstagramWhat has Kelsea Ballerini said about marriage to Morgan Evans?
Kelsea and Morgan were quite open about their love for each other during their relationship, even teasing the potential for children down the line.
Speaking with People in 2019, the "Peter Pan" singer said of their marriage: "Because of my parents' divorce and the way that they loved me through it in their own ways, I have a different idea of marriage, but I would think I have a healthier idea of marriage.
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"I don't see it as a fairytale-esque, ride-off-into-the-sunset kind of thing. It's work, but it's worth it," she gushed, opening up further about having collaborated on music with her then-husband as well.
Morgan posted a sweet statement showing his appreciation for his then wife on International Women's Day 2022, writing: "So proud of you, for all of your achievements of course, but more so for the way you carry yourself through it all. You don't need to talk or post about strength or kindness or intelligence or talent … you just do it, you are it. The real deal."
© Getty ImagesWhy did Kelsea Ballerini get divorced from Morgan Evans?
After five years of marriage, the country stars announced in August of 2022 that they would be filing for divorce.
Speaking with CBS Mornings in October, Kelsea stated that it "just didn't work," adding: "'[It] sometimes is a difficult narrative to get your head around when you're just like, 'Oh my gosh, this is a good person and I'm a good person and this just isn't good anymore.'"
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In November, after finalizing their divorce, Morgan told Access at the ACM Awards: "One of the hardest parts of it is how lonely it feels. It's strangely comforting to realize that so many other people have been through it."
Their efforts to reference the split have not gone down as well, however
29-year-old Kelsea further iterated on the podcast "Tell Me About It With Jade Iovine" that it came down to them losing the honeymoon phase for a while.
"At the end of the day, it is such a disservice and a dishonoring of yourself if you know something is not right and you stay. [Shame] is the one thing that I just refuse to feel."
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