Emmy-winning advocate and philanthropist Sandra Lee had been dating the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, from 2005 to 2019. On April 2021, New York Post released an exposé on the duo’s relationship after several allegations and accusations against Cuomo surfaced. 

Since then, Lee was on a hiatus from her social media, presumably after the news was released. After a month-long break, Lee took to Instagram to announce she was back. 

Back to Business

On May 8, Lee posted a picture of her giving a haircut to an elderly man she called Uncle Bill. 

She claimed she was back after an extended break from social media for personal reasons. That was all she said regarding the break she took and the allegations surrounding her former lover on the post. 

She then explained about her uncle and his illness. She opened up about how he may have had a stroke, how his legs weren’t strong enough to walk, and his slurred speech. Regardless of his illness, Lee confirmed he was recovering excellently.

With his illness amid the pandemic, the past few months had been difficult for Bill, but Lee revealed he would stay with her. The celebrity chef considered her uncle lucky since he battled his illness and now hopes to celebrate his 85th birthday together. 

Referring to the picture, Lee said that Bill’s hair had gotten longer, and they didn’t want anyone to be in contact with him, which is why she cut it herself. Her skills surprised her since she revealed she had cut no one’s hair for a long time. 

She ended her caption with the note that she would go back to New York on May 10. This would be her first time in New York after moving out from her Lily Pond house back in 2020. She used to share the place with Cuomo.  

Lee and Cuomo’s Relationship 

Lee and Cuomo started dating after the Governor’s divorce with his ex-wife, Kerry Kennedy. A mutual friend introduced the pair, and after a year of dating, Lee was finally introduced to Cuomo’s three daughters. Lee shared a close bond with her partner’s daughters and even featured them in her cooking show. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo)

The pair had been together through thick and thin. The lifestyle expert was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and went through a double mastectomy. The entire journey was documented and released by HBO on October 2018, on Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

As evident in the documentary titled 'Early Detection, A Cancer Journey with Sandra Lee,' Cuomo was with her, holding her hands while she was on the journey to recovery. 

The rumors of their separation started surfacing in 2018 when the celebrity chef was removed from Cuomo's gubernatorial campaign website. Similarly, in 2019, Lee skipped Cuomo's State of the State address for the first time since they were together. 

The rumors of separation rang true in May 2019 when Page Six reported the pair had been living separately. Cuomo had been living in Executive Mansion in Albany while Lee was in Manhattan or California. 

While it was already sure that the duo had gone separate ways, they confirmed their split via a joint statement on September 2019, ending a 14-year-old relationship. 

The Duo Remain Friends

Despite ending their romantic relationship, Lee and Cuomo are good friends. Back in April 2020, Lee told The New York Times that she never missed his covid briefings. 

I get up and I see what the latest news is. Of course I watch Andrew live, and then share with him my thoughts.

She called Cuomo her guy and confirmed that his daughters were her family and would always be. The cookbook author also revealed that she would always protect him and be with him until the end. 

That is a bold statement coming from Lee since the Governor of New York has found himself amidst charges of sexual harassment in the workplace and cheating rumors. Even though Cuomo has denied every claim, investigations have been going on.