diff --git a/src/textual/css/styles.py b/src/textual/css/styles.py
index d306d42768..024e92184e 100644
--- a/src/textual/css/styles.py
+++ b/src/textual/css/styles.py
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from functools import partial
 from operator import attrgetter
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Callable, Iterable, Iterator, Literal, cast
+from weakref import ReferenceType, ref
 
 import rich.repr
 from rich.style import Style
@@ -858,25 +858,35 @@ def partial_rich_style(self) -> Style:
 
 
 @rich.repr.auto
-@dataclass
 class Styles(StylesBase):
-    node: DOMNode | None = None
-    _rules: RulesMap = field(default_factory=RulesMap)
-    _updates: int = 0
+    def __init__(
+        self, node: DOMNode | None = None, rules: RulesMap | None = None
+    ) -> None:
+        self._node_ref: ReferenceType[DOMNode] | None = (
+            ref(node) if node is not None else None
+        )
+        self._rules: RulesMap = rules if rules is not None else RulesMap()
+        self._updates: int = 0
+        self.important: set[str] = set()
+        self.get_rule: Callable[[str, object], object] = self._rules.get
+        self.has_rule: Callable[[str], bool] = self._rules.__contains__
 
-    important: set[str] = field(default_factory=set)
+    @property
+    def node(self) -> DOMNode | None:
+        """Get the associated node. If there is no associated node or the associated
+        node has been garbage collected, return None."""
+        return self._node_ref() if self._node_ref is not None else None
 
-    def __post_init__(self) -> None:
-        self.get_rule: Callable[[str, object], object] = self._rules.get  # type: ignore[assignment]
-        self.has_rule: Callable[[str], bool] = self._rules.__contains__  # type: ignore[assignment]
+    @node.setter
+    def node(self, node: DOMNode | None) -> None:
+        """Set the associated node. A weak reference to the node is stored."""
+        self._node_ref = ref(node) if node is not None else None
 
     def copy(self) -> Styles:
         """Get a copy of this Styles object."""
-        return Styles(
-            node=self.node,
-            _rules=self.get_rules(),
-            important=self.important,
-        )
+        other = Styles(self.node, self.get_rules())
+        other.important = self.important
+        return other
 
     def clear_rule(self, rule_name: str) -> bool:
         """Removes the rule from the Styles object, as if it had never been set.
@@ -1308,8 +1318,12 @@ def css(self) -> str:
 class RenderStyles(StylesBase):
     """Presents a combined view of two Styles object: a base Styles and inline Styles."""
 
-    def __init__(self, node: DOMNode, base: Styles, inline_styles: Styles) -> None:
-        self.node = node
+    def __init__(
+        self, node: DOMNode | None, base: Styles, inline_styles: Styles
+    ) -> None:
+        self._node_ref: ReferenceType[DOMNode] | None = (
+            ref(node) if node is not None else None
+        )
         self._base_styles = base
         self._inline_styles = inline_styles
         self._animate: BoundAnimator | None = None
@@ -1334,6 +1348,17 @@ def _cache_key(self) -> int:
         """
         return self._updates + self._base_styles._updates + self._inline_styles._updates
 
+    @property
+    def node(self) -> DOMNode | None:
+        """Get the associated node. If there is no associated node or the associated
+        node has been garbage collected, return None."""
+        return self._node_ref() if self._node_ref is not None else None
+
+    @node.setter
+    def node(self, node: DOMNode | None) -> None:
+        """Set the associated node. A weak reference to the node is stored."""
+        self._node_ref = ref(node) if node is not None else None
+
     @property
     def base(self) -> Styles:
         """Quick access to base (css) style."""
diff --git a/src/textual/css/stylesheet.py b/src/textual/css/stylesheet.py
index 7d97cda9f0..9af0623147 100644
--- a/src/textual/css/stylesheet.py
+++ b/src/textual/css/stylesheet.py
@@ -616,19 +616,20 @@ def _process_component_classes(self, node: DOMNode) -> None:
         if component_classes:
             # Create virtual nodes that exist to extract styles
             refresh_node = False
-            old_component_styles = node._component_styles.copy()
-            node._component_styles.clear()
+            old_component_styles_nodes = node._component_styles_nodes.copy()
+            node._component_styles_nodes.clear()
             for component in sorted(component_classes):
                 virtual_node = DOMNode(classes=component)
                 virtual_node._attach(node)
                 self.apply(virtual_node, animate=False)
-                if (
-                    not refresh_node
-                    and old_component_styles.get(component) != virtual_node.styles
+                if not refresh_node and (
+                    component not in old_component_styles_nodes
+                    or old_component_styles_nodes[component].styles
+                    != virtual_node.styles
                 ):
                     # If the styles have changed we want to refresh the node
                     refresh_node = True
-                node._component_styles[component] = virtual_node.styles
+                node._component_styles_nodes[component] = virtual_node
             if refresh_node:
                 node.refresh()
 
diff --git a/src/textual/dom.py b/src/textual/dom.py
index 2dba90b015..f5f474b8b9 100644
--- a/src/textual/dom.py
+++ b/src/textual/dom.py
@@ -207,8 +207,9 @@ def __init__(
         self.styles: RenderStyles = RenderStyles(
             self, self._css_styles, self._inline_styles
         )
-        # A mapping of class names to Styles set in COMPONENT_CLASSES
-        self._component_styles: dict[str, RenderStyles] = {}
+        # A mapping of class names to virtual nodes whose 'styles' attribute
+        # corresponds to Styles set in COMPONENT_CLASSES
+        self._component_styles_nodes: dict[str, DOMNode] = {}
 
         self._auto_refresh: float | None = None
         self._auto_refresh_timer: Timer | None = None
@@ -579,9 +580,9 @@ def get_component_styles(self, *names: str) -> RenderStyles:
         styles = RenderStyles(self, Styles(), Styles())
 
         for name in names:
-            if name not in self._component_styles:
+            if name not in self._component_styles_nodes:
                 raise KeyError(f"No {name!r} key in COMPONENT_CLASSES")
-            component_styles = self._component_styles[name]
+            component_styles = self._component_styles_nodes[name].styles
             styles.node = component_styles.node
             styles.base.merge(component_styles.base)
             styles.inline.merge(component_styles.inline)
diff --git a/src/textual/widget.py b/src/textual/widget.py
index 8543706dad..3fcef31098 100644
--- a/src/textual/widget.py
+++ b/src/textual/widget.py
@@ -4338,7 +4338,7 @@ async def _message_loop_exit(self) -> None:
         self._arrangement_cache.clear()
         self._nodes._clear()
         self._render_cache = _RenderCache(NULL_SIZE, [])
-        self._component_styles.clear()
+        self._component_styles_nodes.clear()
         self._query_one_cache.clear()
 
     async def _on_idle(self, event: events.Idle) -> None: