Chris Appleton Ex-Wife Explained: Katie Katon, Kids, Coming Out, and Co-Parenting Timeline

“Chris Appleton ex wife” is a popular search, but the truth is a little more nuanced than a simple name. Chris Appleton’s most significant early relationship was with Katie Katon, the mother of his two children—yet reputable reporting has repeatedly noted they were long-term partners who did not marry. What people often call an “ex-wife” is, more accurately, his former partner and co-parent.

Who is Chris Appleton?

Chris Appleton is a celebrity hairstylist known for working with some of the world’s biggest stars. He built his reputation on high-glam, camera-ready hair—especially sleek ponytails, polished waves, and red-carpet transformations that routinely go viral. Over time, he became recognizable not just inside beauty circles, but across pop culture, partly because of how closely he’s worked with ultra-famous clients and how visible his styling work is in major events.

With that level of visibility comes a predictable side effect: people want the personal details, too—especially the basics like relationship history, children, and whether he has (or had) a spouse.

The direct answer: does Chris Appleton have an ex-wife?

Here’s the clearest way to say it: Chris Appleton is widely reported to have a former long-term partner, Katie Katon, but not an ex-wife. Many articles and search snippets use “ex-wife” because it’s a common template phrase online, but reliable profiles have emphasized that Appleton and Katon shared a serious relationship and had children together without being legally married.

So if you came here looking for “the ex-wife’s name,” the name most people mean is Katie Katon—but it’s more accurate to describe her as his former partner and the mother of his children.

Who is Katie Katon?

Katie Katon is best known publicly because of her long relationship with Chris Appleton and their family ties. She has also been described in mainstream profiles as a psychotherapist, with work focused on mental health and relationship-centered care.

What stands out most in coverage of Katon is not celebrity glamour, but steadiness. When Chris Appleton’s life changed dramatically—personally and professionally—Katon remained a central, supportive figure in the family structure, especially as they moved into co-parenting.

How did Chris Appleton and Katie Katon meet?

They met in the UK while working in the hair industry. Their shared environment mattered because it meant their relationship began in the “real life” phase of Appleton’s journey—before global fame, before big Hollywood rooms, and before his name became a brand.

This also helps explain why their relationship doesn’t come with the typical celebrity paper trail. They weren’t living a paparazzi life at the beginning. They were building a life while working regular salon jobs and navigating young adulthood.

Were Chris Appleton and Katie Katon married?

Reliable reporting has repeatedly framed them as a long-term couple who did not marry. That’s the core reason the “ex-wife” label becomes misleading. They were a serious partnership, they built a family together, and they stayed connected after separating—but the relationship is not consistently documented as a legal marriage.

If you see a site insisting she is his “ex-wife,” treat that as shorthand rather than a precise legal description. The more responsible phrasing is “ex-partner” or “former partner.”

Do Chris Appleton and Katie Katon have children?

Yes. Chris Appleton has two children with Katie Katon: a son named Billy (born in 2002) and a daughter named Kitty-Blu (born in 2004). They are now adults, and Appleton has spoken warmly and proudly about them over the years.

Because his children are older, this isn’t a story about celebrity parenting with toddlers and nonstop “cute family content.” It’s more about long-term family bonds: showing up, rebuilding trust where needed, and keeping a respectful relationship with a co-parent over time.

Chris Appleton coming out, and why this relationship matters in his story

Part of the reason Katie Katon remains such a significant figure in Appleton’s life story is how closely their relationship is tied to his coming-out journey. In interviews and public profiles, Appleton has described coming out as gay in his mid-20s while already having a family structure in place. That creates a uniquely complicated emotional situation: you’re figuring out who you are while also trying not to damage the people you love.

From what’s been shared publicly, Katie Katon is often described as someone who supported Appleton through that transition, even though it changed the relationship. That doesn’t mean it was easy or painless. It means it was handled with a level of maturity that allowed them to become long-term co-parents instead of permanent enemies.

Chris Appleton’s later marriage to Lukas Gage

To understand why “ex-wife” gets tangled up in his story, it helps to know this: Chris Appleton later had a very public, whirlwind marriage to actor Lukas Gage. They married in April 2023 and their divorce was finalized in 2024 after a short marriage.

That marriage is important context because it clarifies something many readers miss: Appleton’s only widely documented legal spouse in major mainstream coverage is a husband, not a wife. That doesn’t erase his earlier relationship with Katie Katon; it simply puts the “ex-wife” phrase in the correct context.

What co-parenting has looked like for Chris Appleton and Katie Katon

Co-parenting doesn’t mean “everything is perfect.” It means two adults choose to prioritize their children over their resentment. In Appleton’s case, public reporting has often emphasized that the family remained close in meaningful ways—suggesting a co-parenting relationship that matured over time rather than disintegrating.

When children become adults, co-parenting also shifts. It’s less about custody schedules and more about family traditions, graduations, holidays, emotional support, and staying respectful because your children will always be the bridge between you.

From the outside, their story reads like a long arc of adjustment: relationship, children, separation, identity evolution, and then a stable co-parenting dynamic that continued even as Appleton’s career became global.