Chase Stokes posted a photo of her before discussing their relationship status

Even before it became official, Chase Stokes couldn't help but show off his girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini!

Playing “Sip or Spill” in a new interview with Entertainment tonightBallerini, 31, decided to talk about the “hottest part” of her 32-year-old actor boyfriend. She said Stokes was proud of her love and was never afraid to show it.

“I think it's very underrated when a man is really proud of his relationship,” the country star said in the interview, published on Wednesday, October 23.

Then she remembered a certain moment and recounted it AND that Stokes first posted a photo of her “before we even had the conversation, 'Are we together?'” ”

“Even as a very independent-minded woman, I love it when he says, 'This is who we are.' Here we are,” she said. “He gave it his all.”

The photo cited by Ballerini was an image Stokes included in a January 2023 “recap” post on Instagram. Although the then-unofficial couple's faces are not visible in the cozy photo, he identified the star by tagging her Instagram account.

Relationship rumors immediately started doing the rounds. The stars teased their relationship in a few interviews before finally making it official by walking the CMT Awards red carpet together in April 2023.

Since then, both the singer and Outer Banks Star were nothing but overtly affectionate.

Earlier this month, Ballerini gushed about Stokes in Shine Women of the Year Awards and told PEOPLE, “He’s been such a huge, beautiful part of my life for almost two years.”

“I’m really proud of the art he inspired,” the musician continued. “And I'm really proud to be with someone who tells the truth in his own art too. And being aligned in that way and sharing parts of our relationship and stuff like that so openly and willingly is really nice.”

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The couple has also continually supported each other's professional endeavors throughout their romance, with Stokes even starring in her “First Rodeo” music video, which premiered on October 16. Joining the project for the song – which is inspired by their relationship – was a “no problem,” the actor later revealed.

Stokes recounted his conversation with Ballerini about the role Entertainment tonight“was like a really, really beautiful, vulnerable way of saying, 'I kind of wrote this song about our history, and I don't want anyone else to do it.' 'Will you?' ”

After his brief “Yeah, duh,” Stokes said, the singer said, “Oh! Was it that easy?' And I said, 'Yes, baby. Yes, exactly.' So it was a given.”