Strictly Come Dancing 2026 contestant Chris Appleton has spoken about his enduring bond with his ex-girlfriend Katie Katon, the mother of his two children, following their split.
The 43-year-old celebrity hairdresser and author was in an eight-year relationship with Katie before coming out as gay in 2009. The pair met while working together at Georges Hairdressing in Leicester, where Chris began his career as a stylist.
They had two children together: Billy Appleton, born in 2002 when Chris was 19, and Kitty-blu Appleton, born two years later in 2004.
A difficult breakup and coming out
Speaking on Jamie Laing's Great Company podcast in May, Chris explained: "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'."
Chris continued: "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. 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."
Coming out to Katie first
Chris previously revealed that Katie was the first person he came out to because he "didn't want to be gay". During his appearance on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast in August last year, he said: "Because I loved her, I really loved her, and I didn't want to be gay. I didn't want to be different."
Telling their children proved even more difficult, and Katie's mother ended up delivering the news to 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."
Holidays and family time
Chris and Katie have maintained a tight bond over the years and have spent holidays together. In 2025, they celebrated the Fourth of July with their kids.
"So grateful for a weekend with my family, full of laughter, love, and those little moments that stay with you," he captioned a post commemorating the holiday. "Always everything I need."
Chris is reportedly single following his divorce from The White Lotus actor Lukas Gage. The pair married in Las Vegas in April 2023, with Chris's close friend and client Kim Kardashian officiating. The marriage lasted roughly six months before Chris filed for divorce in November 2023, citing irreconcilable differences; it was finalised in 2024, with Lukas calling the brief union "a manic episode for six months."
Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday, September 26 at 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
