“I think it is very underrated for a man to be really proud of his relationship,” the country star shared in a new interview

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Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes

Even before they went official, Chase Stokes couldn’t help but show off girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini!

While playing “Sip or Spill” in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Ballerini, 31, opted to “spill” about the “hottest part” of her actor beau, 32. She said Stokes takes pride in their love, and he’s never been afraid to show it.

“I think it is very underrated for a man to be really proud of his relationship,” the country star said in the interview, which was published Wednesday, Oct. 23.

She then recalled a specific moment, telling ET that Stokes posted a photo of her for the first time “before we even had the conversation of like, ‘Are we together?’ ”

Chase Stokes/instagram The first photo Chase Stokes posted of Kelsea Ballerini

“Even as a very independently-wired woman, I love when he’s like, ‘This is us. Here we are,’ ” she said. “He full-sent that.”

The photo Ballerini cited was a picture Stokes included in a January 2023 “recap” post on Instagram. Though the then-unofficial couple’s faces aren’t visible in the cuddly picture, he did identify the star by tagging her Instagram account.

Immediately, relationship rumors began to swirl. The stars went on to tease their relationship in a handful of interviews before eventually going official by walking the CMT Awards red carpet together in April 2023.

Since then, both the singer and Outer Banks star have been nothing but openly affectionate.

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Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini

Earlier this month, Ballerini raved about Stokes at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards, telling PEOPLE that “he’s been such a big, beautiful part of my life for almost two years now.”

“I’m really proud of the art that he’s inspired,” the musician continued. “And I’m really proud to be with someone who’s a truth-teller in his own art too. And to be aligned in that way and to share parts of our relationship and that kind of stuff, so openly and willingly, is really beautiful.”

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 Oct. 16. Joining the project for the song — which draws inspiration from their relationship — was a “no brainer,” the actor later revealed.

His conversation with Ballerini about the role, Stokes told Entertainment Tonight, “was like a really, really beautiful, vulnerable way of saying, like, ‘I wrote this song kind of about our story, and I don’t want to have anybody else do it. So will you?’ ”

After his instant “yeah, duh,” Stokes said the singer “was like, ‘Oh! It was that easy?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, babe. Yes, exactly.’ So, it was a no-brainer.”