Chris Appleton breaks silence over his divorce to Lukas Gage – and his split from ex-wife

Chris Appleton has opened up about his short lived marriage with actor Lukas Gage as well as coming out as gay to his ex-wife Katie Katon.

Appleton, who has notably worked with Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, came out when he was 26. By then he had two children with Katon – Billy and Kitty-blu, who are now 22 and 20, respectively.

Speaking to the Jay Shetty in the latest episode of the On Purpose podcast, Appleton, 42, discussed his relationship with You star Lukas Gage.

The pair married in April 2023 in a small ceremony attended by Kim Kardashian, Shania Twain, amongst others. They were first thought to have begun dating in February that year when they posted photos while on holiday together. 

Chris Appleton then confirmed he was “very much in love” with Lukas Gage the following month. But in November 2023 Appleton filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences.” The two were later speculated to both be enjoying new romances according to reports.

Speaking about the whirlwind romance with Shetty, Appleton said he didn’t have any regrets. “Moving fast doesn’t always mean you’re reckless. I think sometimes it means you’re hopeful. I think any relationship I’ve ever been in, I’ve gone into with an open heart, and I have no regrets about that.”

Referencing the mass speculation about the pair’s entire love story the stylist added, “I think we shame people too much for leading with an open heart.” He added, “I would rather love and fall than to never feel anything at all. And I think I’d rather experience something and feel alive than to never put my foot out in the water.”

Chris Appleton also said he was “going through a lot of private pain” at the time, which was then compounded by the media’s interest in the relationship. Addressing the short lived nature of the relationship directly, Appleton recognised, “You can love someone and there not be a forever happy ending. I think you learn so much from it. I think any relationship I’ve ever gone into, I’ve learned so much from it.

“I’ve learned what’s important to me in terms of boundaries, in terms of how I want to be loved, how I want to love. And that’s a beautiful thing because it means you’re always growing and evolving.”

Elsewhere Appleton chatted about coming out to his ex-wife, Katie Katon. He explained he held off being open with his family because he didn’t want to hurt them. He said the shame of hurting his loved ones forced him to pull back.

Chris Appleton and Katie Katon were married for nine years before he came out. But eventually he felt like he had to come out, which he said was “a process.” Appleton told Shetty, “I also had to respect that she needed to go through her own grief.

“Because I loved her. I really loved her. I didn’t want to be gay, I didn’t want to be different.” Appleton then said “the hardest part was telling my kids.” He then revealed how he struggled with the idea of being a gay dad and the impact it would have on his kids.

His thoughts of shame then led to suicidal thoughts, which led to an attempt at taking his own life, which he also discussed on the podcast. After that, he felt able to accept his sexuality.

You can watch the whole episode below.