Lukas Gage’s partner Chris Appleton is a British celeb hairstylist who’s worked with Kim Kardashian
British celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton has confirmed he’s dating You star Lukas Gage. (Instagram/Getty)
Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton has introduced the world to a new same-sex Hollywood power couple after confirming that he’s dating actor Lukas Gage.
Appleton, who has worked as a hairstylist to the stars for more than a decade, revealed that he is “very much in love” with The White Lotus and You star Gage during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in March 2023.
The confirmation of Appleton and Gage’s romance followed weeks of speculation that the couple were dating after they shared a series of loved-up looking shots on Instagram.
While the relationship has introduced Appleton to an even wider audience, the 39-year-old has been a successful public figure and social media influencer for many years.
As well as working with A-list stars including Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian and Rita Ora, Appleton boasts more than three million followers on Instagram.
Who is Chris Appleton?
Chris Appleton was born on 14 June, 1983 in Leicester, England. He is currently signed to IMG Models and also to entertainment agency WME.
He first recognised his passion for hairstyling at the age of nine, telling Grazia that doing his own mum’s hair sparked his early interest.
“When she looked in the mirror, her expression would change in her face, and her shoulders would go back,” Appleton recalled. “I realised that I had this ability to make people feel really good, like emotional medicine.
“For me, that is what started this journey for me: making people look good, but really making them feel good. When you can do both is when the magic happens.”
Appleton landed his first job in a salon in 1996 at the age of 13, and in the following years used his time off to hone his skills by assisting other artists on set and earning a degree in hair colouring.
While working at George’s Hairdressing in Leicester he entered the world of fashion editorial, assisting backstage and fashion shows and with creative briefs for shoots. In 2009, he was named the BBC Young Hairdresser of the Year.
Before coming out as gay, Appleton was in a relationship with Katie Kason, with whom he shares two children, Billy and Kitty-Blu.
Which celebrities has Chris Appleton worked with?
Appleton moved to London in the early 2010s and continued working in magazine editorial, styling the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevigne.
He worked closely with Rita Ora for two years, including during the “Anywhere” singer’s time as a judge on The X Factor.
In December 2016, Appleton moved across the pond to LA, where he landed a job styling Christina Aguilera’s hair on The Voice. His social media profile began to take off around this time, and jobs styling pop icons Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Adele, and Jennifer Lopez quickly followed.
Appleton’s profile was elevated further after he became the full-time dedicated hair stylist of Kim Kardashian, with the Brit often sharing images of his work with the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star on social media.
Appleton opened up about his coming out journey while being interviewed by Kim Kardashian for Gay Times in 2019.
“Some people know straight away, I didn’t and it took me a minute to understand that and accept that and then come out,” he reflected. “Everybody has got their stories and some people are ready with it straight away, I just wasn’t. I didn’t have that realisation.”
The hair guru added that he only felt comfortable sharing his sexuality with the world with the approval of his two children, Billy and Kitty-Blu.
“It was also really important to me that the kids were comfortable before I expressed that,” he explained. “That they understood and were in a good place. It was just time. Everybody has their story and mine was later on.”
Asked by Kardashian whether he’d ever experienced prejudice or discrimination because of his sexuality, Appleton replied “not really”, before adding: “If you go outside of London or Los Angeles or New York, there are still places where it’s still a thing about sexuality but honestly it’s like anything different that people or kids will comment on.”
Who is Chris Appleton’s partner Lukas Gage?
Chris Appleton confirmed in March 2023 that his partner is actor Lukas Gage, who is best known for his role in The White Lotus (where his character was infamously rimmed by Murray Bartlett’s hotel manager) and Netflix’s You (where his character was infamously involved in a ‘golden shower’ scene).
Social media buzz about Appleton and Gage’s relationship status began in February 2023 after the pair shared a series of pictures of themselves together on Instagram.
Gage, who has also appeared in TV series including Love, Victor and the recent reboot of Queer as Folk, was initially reticent to confirm the relationship publicly, stating that he would discuss his sexuality when he was “ready”.
“I’m a pretty open book about most things in my life, but I have a problem with the culture of everyone needing to know everybody’s business and nothing can be sacred”, he told The New York Times: “It’s a weird line that I’m still trying to figure out.”
Gage concluded: “Let me [clarify my sexuality] when I’m ready,” he concluded. “And it’s acting. I feel like everyone should get the opportunity to play whatever they want.”
The 27-year-old later shut down Perez Hilton after the blogger made a jibe at Gage about the amount of press attention the pictures had been receiving.
In a now-deleted tweet, Gage wrote: “Somebody needs to tell this dude that nobody has read his blog since 2009! details HERE” in response to a similarly formatted tweet from Hilton.
Gage had has previously challenged attempts to get him to discuss his sexuality, after one fan tweeted: “If Hollywood can stop hiring non LGBTQIA+ actors like Lukas Gage to play LGBTQIA+ characters, that would be great. He has played four so far. One was enough.”
Gage replied: “U don’t know my alphabet,” and when asked to elaborate he replied “no” with a heart emoji.
In March 2023, Appleton made his relationship with Gage public while speaking to friend and former client Drew Barrymore on The Drew Barrymore Show.
After Barrymore pointedly asked whether there was anyone special in his life, Appleton replied bashfully: “Yeah, actually. I’m very happy. Very much in love, and I feel very grateful to be able to share my time with someone very special.
“Love is a really special thing and I think meeting someone that you really connect with is really, really special.”
Appleton and Gage’s Instagram pictures were then shown on a big screen, confirming Gage as the special ‘someone’.
“Oh my god look at you guys,” said Barrymore. “OK, and his name is Lukas Gage… looking like an ad for something I just want to be a part of.”
