Chris Appleton on Lukas Gage Divorce: 'I Was Going Through A Lot of Private Pain'

Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton has opened up for the first time about how and why his whirlwind relationship with — and subsequent marriage to — actor Lukas Gage came to an end just six months after they had tied the knot.

via: People

The celebrity hairstylist sat down for an episode of the Jay Shetty Podcast, where he opened up in-depth about his 2024 divorce from actor Lukas Gage after seven months of marriage.

"I think people have this perception, from social media probably, that I have it together. I work with these amazing people, life looks glamorous. So, from the outside, it probably looks like I got it all together,” said the industry star, who famously works with Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa and Jennifer Lopez.

“But the truth is, especially during that time, I was going through a lot of private pain," continued Appleton, who added that the "online speculations" about his romantic life were "incredibly intense, especially when you’re just trying to deal with things.” His priority at the time was also protecting his children from the rumors.

Appleton admitted that healing "wasn't an easy process," but he sat through is feelings in therapy. "Coming out the other side, there’s a part of you that feels like you can, you know, reflect on it and move on," adding that he wanted to "deal with it with peace and deal with it my way."

Gage and Appleton had a whirlwind romance. After they first sparked romance rumors in February 2023 and got engaged a month later, the couple tied the knot in April 2023. Their wedding was officiated by Kardashian, and they were serenaded by country superstar Shania Twain.

“Moving fast doesn’t always mean you’re reckless. I think sometimes it means you’re hopeful,” Appleton said in regards to his and Gage's relationship. "Any relationship I’ve ever been into, I’ve gone into with an open heart. And I have no regrets about that … I would rather love and fall than to never feel anything at all."

Even if a relationship might not point to a "forever happy ending," for Appleton, it's important to evolve and grow no matter the consequences.

Since he and Gage finalized their divorce in June 2024, Appleton has kept his feelings about the split close to his heart. Gage, however, did previously comment on the breakup in a March 2024 interview on Watch What Happens Live, where he called his decision to marry that quickly “manic" and "absolutely unhinged."

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE that same month, the White Lotus alum shared an update on his life post-divorce. “It's been great. It's been a year of learning, growing, changing — yeah, just constant change."

Appleton was previously linked to his former partner Katie Katon, with whom he shares son Billy, 22, and daughter Kitty-blu, 20.