Who Is Chris Appleton’s Ex-Girlfriend? All About Katie Katon

Chris Appleton has a lot of love for his ex-girlfriend, Katie Katon.  

The former couple first met while working together at a hair salon in England, where they’re both from. Though they never married, they were together for almost a decade and welcomed two children.

Billy Appleton was born in 2002, when Chris was just 19, and Kitty-blu Appleton arrived two years later in 2004.

The celebrity hairstylist — known for working with stars like Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande — told podcaster Jay Shetty that Katon was the first person he came out to. 

“Because I loved her, I really loved her, and I didn’t want to be gay,” Appleton said during an August 2025 appearance on Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. “I didn’t want to be different.”

Telling his kids proved to be even more difficult, and Katon’s mother ended up being the one to deliver the news to Billy and Kitty-blu. 

“All of a sudden, I just felt like I’d just messed their life up, and I felt like I’d failed as a dad because my job was to protect them,” he told Shetty.

Today, Appleton remains close with both of his kids and Katon.

So, who is Chris Appleton’s former partner? Here’s everything to know about Katie Katon and her relationship with the hairstylist. 

She met Appleton at a hair salon 

Appleton and Katon met while working at Georges Hairdressing in Leicester, England, where he began his career as a stylist at the age of 13, according to Bustle and Pro Hair.

Eventually, Katon worked her way up to managing director of the salon, where she provided mental health services to her stylists, setting the stage for her future career as a therapist. 

“It’s easy to think that everyone is happy in hairdressing,” she told Salon Today in February 2020. “We work in a creative environment and, being customer-facing, we are always seen smiling. I know this is sometimes just a façade hiding true feelings, and that’s why I want staff to be confident to come to me for help if they are struggling.”

They share two children 

The former couple welcomed two children during their relationship: Billy, born on Dec. 1, 2002, and Kitty-blu, born on Nov. 3, 2004. In a June 2025 Instagram post celebrating Katon’s birthday, Kitty-blu described her mother as her “best friend” and “the heart” of their family.

“You’ve always been the one I turn to through every high and every low and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you,” she captioned a carousel of images with her mom. “You’re strong, kind, funny, and so full of love. The way you care for others, put everyone before yourself, and somehow still make everything look effortless is something I admire more than you’ll ever know.”

In a November 2024 interview on Bethenny Frankel’s podcast Just B, Appleton opened up about how “incredibly difficult” it was to come out after he had two kids.

“I had a partner I’d been with for, like, 9 years,” the celebrity hairstylist told Frankel. “I thought I had it all figured out. Everyone else also thought I had it figured out.”

She’s a psychotherapist 

Katon has transitioned from managing salons to managing mental health. As of 2025, she’s a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy-registered humanistic and integrative psychotherapist who works for a practice in Leicester, England.

According to her professional bio, she specializes in everything from relationships and sexuality to addiction and trauma.  

Appleton said Katon was “incredibly supportive” when he came out 

Appleton has credited Katon with being “incredibly supportive” after he came out at the age of 26. During his 2024 Just B appearance, he revealed that he called his ex-partner after posting a video from his first-ever photoshoot.

“She was like, ‘Why are you emotional?’ ” Appleton said. “And I was like, ‘I don’t know, I just remember him, I remember that guy. I was straight, I had two kids, I thought I had it all figured out.’ ” 

He continued, “And she’s like, ‘You know, it was really hard because I think you had to mourn a part of someone that you had to let go.’ ”

They still have a close relationship

Appleton and Katon have maintained a tight bond throughout the years and have even spent holidays together. In 2025, they got together to celebrate the Fourth of July with their kids. 

“So grateful for a weekend with my family, full of laughter, love, and those little moments that stay with you,” he captioned a post commemorating the holiday. “Always everything I need.”