Chris Appleton breaks silence on six-month marriage to Lukas Gage: ‘I was going through a lot of private pain’

Chris Appleton has broken his silence on his six-month marriage to Lukas Gage – and why he’s stayed quiet until now.

The celebrity hairstylist and the White Lotus actor made their relationship public at the start of 2023, tied the knot that April, and parted ways just six months later. Their divorce was finalised in June 2024, seven months after they called it quits.

Speaking on the Jay Shetty Podcast, he said, “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.”

“I’ve always believed in therapy,” Chris Appleton – hairstylist

Chris went on to reveal that behind the scenes, things felt very different with the former Attitude cover star.

“But the truth is, especially during that time, I was going through a lot of private pain,” he shared. “And then you go with all the online speculation part. People say things about you, there’s things in the tabloid and people have an opinion on your life. That can be incredibly intense, especially when you’re just trying to deal with things.”

One of the ways he coped was by leaning into therapy and giving himself permission not to be okay.

“I’ve always believed in therapy,” he said. “And I work with a therapist to really sit in my feelings and really go through them and understand how I felt. That is really brutal to go through it, but for me, coming out the other side, there’s a part of you that feels like you can, you know, reflect on it and move on.”

“You can love someone and there not be a forever happy ending”

Chris described the experience as one that ultimately led him to focus on alignment and peace.

“That wasn’t an easy process,” he admitted. “But I think when you align those two, when you genuinely feel good on the inside, I think that’s when your real power comes in place. Just because there’s a headline about you doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go explain to everyone about your life. And I think for me, I really wanted to deal with it with peace and deal with it my way.”

Although he didn’t go into detail about why things ended, Chris hinted that the relationship lacked long-term alignment – and made clear that love doesn’t always guarantee a lasting outcome.

“You can love someone and there not be a forever happy ending,” he said. “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.”

TV wedding

As for the quick pace of the relationship, Chris defended it, saying it came from a place of optimism.

“Moving fast doesn’t always mean you’re reckless. I think sometimes it means you’re hopeful,” he explained. “And I think 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. I’d rather experience something and feel alive than to never put my foot out in the water.”

The duo’s marriage played out on The Kardashians, with Kim officiating the nuptials. 

Shania Twain performed the pair’s favourite song ‘You’re Still The One’ ahead of the ceremony, which was attended by just a small handful of guests.