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.Appleton a celebrity hairstylist with high-profile clients such as Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Dua Lipa, and Chrishell Stause was a guest on a podcast named On Purpose, hosted by Jay Shetty. During the episode, Appleton discussed his headlines-making marriage with The White Lotus, Euphoria, and Road House actor Lukas Gage ever since they split as a couple.Shetty asked Appleton how it felt to navigate a relationship with Gage given that this was a "public romantic relationship," noting that Appleton hadn't "even [been] in a relationship with a man" famous or otherwise before it.Chris Appleton went "through a lot of private pain" at the time he was with Lukas Gage. See on Instagram "This is the first time I've ever spoken about this," Appleton replied. "I think people have this perception from social mediaI have it together, I work with these amazing people, life looks glamorous. From the outside it probably looks like I've got it all together. But the truth is, especially during that time, I was going through a lot of private pain."Appleton struggled with having a public relationship that the entire world could comment on and criticize, he says. The celebrity hairstylist credits therapy for helping him "sit in my feelings and really go through them."Appleton has two kids, Billy and Kitty, who are both reportedly in their early 20s. "I don't mind people saying good and bad things," he explained. "But, for me, as a dad, I wanted to protect my kidsI'm very aware that any relationship I go into, there will be a conversation around that.""You know, you can love someone and then not be a forever happy ending. You learn so much from it; any relationship I've ever gone into, I've learned so much from it.""Moving fast doesn't always mean you're reckless," the celebrity hairstylist insists. Chris Appleton at the Elton John Academy Awards Viewing Party in March 2025.Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock"It was you who filed for divorce, right?" Shetty asked. "Like, you were the one who ended it?" Appleton said yes, leading Shetty to follow up, "When you look at that in the perspective of the whole conversation that we've had, and everything you've been through, I can imagine that's not easy."Appleton insisted that "just because it's not forever doesn't mean it didn't mean something." For instance, he notes that "it's a bit like going to buy a house: I like bright and lots of space; I don't like confined and dark. Some people do. And that's OK. We're just not aligned."As Appleton circled back to the concept of being "aligned," Shetty asked, "Why do you think you didn't have that alignment when you met [Gage]? Because [the relationship] moved fast, right?"Moving fast doesn't always mean you're reckless. Sometimes it means you're hopeful," Appleton said. "I think we shame people too much for leading with an open heartespecially when it doesn't work out."Appleton described that he has an amazing family and a career that he's worked hard for. "An ending doesn't mean that it didn't mean anything," he insisted. "It just means it ended."Chris Appleton believes that people "bring old trauma and baggage into a relationship." See on Instagram Appleton appeared on the On Purpose podcast to discuss and promote his first book, Your Roots Don't Define You, which is set to come out on January 20, 2026. Shetty, the podcast host, asked, "Why did it feel again important for you to talk about it now as part of this journey with the book?""I would like to share my experience so people can relate and maybe not feel so alone," Appleton said. "It doesn't matter what the situation was that you got stuck in: You can move on. You can evolve your life. You can have a comeback at any age."He went on, "Love is messy; people are complicated. We all bring our old trauma and baggage into a relationship, whether you're willing to admit it or not."Chris Appleton breaks down the importance of identifying a "pattern" in one's life. See on Instagram The celebrity hairstylist hopes that the book can help people see themselves and those around him as they really are.Appleton mused, "When you really see people and you break it down to like, 'Why have you always done this? Why have you always repeated this behavior? Why have you always gotten yourself into the same situation? Why have you gotten yourself into the same relationship?' There's a pattern to it.""Once you see the pattern, and once you break it down, [then] you can change it," he said. "I did it with hair for a long time, but I didn't realize I was also doing it in an internal way. Everyone can relate to the saying, 'Your hairdresser is your therapist.' But I didn't even know I was doing that."Chris Appleton's book, Your Roots Don't Define You, is now available for preorders ahead of its January 2026 release. The full interview between Chris Appleton and Jay Shetty can be watched below.