Strictly Come Dancing 2026 contestant Chris Appleton is reportedly single following his split from ex-husband Lukas Gage and his earlier separation from Katie Katon, the mother of his two children. The 43-year-old celebrity hairdresser and author is currently competing in the dance show.
Eight-Year Relationship with Katie Katon
Appleton was in an eight-year relationship with Katie Katon before coming out as gay in 2009. The pair met while both worked at Georges Hairdressing in Leicester, where Appleton first established himself as a stylist. They later separated after having two children together: Billy Appleton, born in 2002 when Chris was 19, and Kitty-blu Appleton, born two years later in 2004.
Reflecting on the relationship during an appearance on Jamie Laing's Great Company podcast in May, Appleton said: "Me and Kate got together when I was 19. When we broke up when I was 27, it was really dark. When I came out as gay, she saw me, when I couldn't see myself."
He added: "For a lot of years, I couldn't see myself, even with the shame of me being gay and it was so painful for her. She saw me and still does. We spent Christmas together with the kids this year, it was New Year's Eve, I put my arm round her and I said 'I did it, Kate'."
Enduring Bond and Family Life
Appleton went on to say: "Although sometimes me and Kate get upset as our kids didn't have a conventional family but it's loyal and it's solid. So I think, look, we still argue like cat and dog but there was a pact we made when we met. She saved me."
He continued: "Having kids and this bond that never left, it never will. Even when she was in pain and shame, and hated me and probably didn't want to talk to me again, she didn't because she could see what I was going through. It takes a lot of compassion to do that."
Appleton previously disclosed that Katie was the first person he confided in about his sexuality because he "didn't want to be gay." Speaking on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast last August, he explained: "Because I loved her, I really loved her, and I didn't want to be gay. I didn't want to be different."
Breaking the news to their children proved more challenging, with Katie's mother ultimately taking on the responsibility of telling Billy and Kitty-blu. "All of a sudden, I just felt like I'd just messed their life up, and I felt like I'd failed as a dad because my job was to protect them."
Marriage to Lukas Gage and Current Status
Chris and Kate have remained close over the years and have shared holidays together. In 2025, they reunited to mark the Fourth of July with their children. "So grateful for a weekend with my family, full of laughter, love, and those little moments that stay with you," he wrote in a post marking the occasion. "Always everything I need."
Chris is understood to be single after his marriage to The White Lotus actor Lukas Gage ended. The couple married in Las Vegas in April 2023, with Chris's close friend and client Kim Kardashian officiating the ceremony. The short-lived marriage endured approximately six months before Chris initiated divorce proceedings in November 2023, stating irreconcilable differences, which was concluded in 2024, with Lukas describing the brief relationship as "a manic episode for six months."
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday, September 26 at 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
