Kelsea Ballerini's Estranged Husband Morgan Evans Breaks Silence on Divorce Filing
Kelsea Ballerini's estranged husband Morgan Evans has broken his silence on her recent divorce filing, seeking to end their marriage. Radar reports that Evans took to Instagram to share a brief statement on his Stories thread, writing, "I am very sad to confirm that after almost 5 years of marriage, Kelsea and I are parting ways. I wish it were otherwise but sadly it is not."
On Aug. 29, it was reported that Ballerini had filed for divorce, with the country songstress releasing a statement confirming the news. "Friends, I've always tried my best to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold. This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce," she wrote. "This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end."
Ballerini continued, "It's hard to find the words here...but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons. With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing, and showing up the best we can." Ballerini, 28, and Evans, 37 — both country music singers — first met in 2016 while co-hosting the CMC Awards in Australia, where Evans is originally from. They started dating soon after and became engaged the same year. In 2017 they were married in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in a quaint beach ceremony.
Following the divorce news, PEOPLE published a comment from a source close to the pair who said, "They've been working on their marriage for a very long time. Prior to this they had separated privately once before and have been in therapy for several years. They gave it their best go but unfortunately arrived at the decision to formally separate."
Interestingly, in November 2021, Ballerini spoke with PEOPLE about her life and career, telling the outlet that she and Evans went to couples therapy "all the time," as they were strong believers in its effectiveness. "We have really good couples friends that we vacation with," she said, "but we also can sit down with and have the hard conversations." Then, in April, Ballerini spoke about therapy again, telling Extra that both she and Evans attended sessions separately. "I think it's really important," the singer said. "Obviously we have a strange life. Like, we are both really busy and don't get to spend as much time together... And just trying to find, like, the things that work for us."