How Did Andrew Cuomo Really Want To Get Over His Relationship With Sandra Lee?
Ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had ideas about getting over his breakup with Sandra Lee. Cuomo and Lee dated for 14 years before splitting up in 2019 amid rumors of the governor's cheating. "It was an open secret," an ex-aide told the New York Post. "Andrew was sleeping with at least one other woman who wasn't Sandra." The outlet reported that multiple aides believed Cuomo had "intimate relationships" with staffers while living with Lee. The celebrity chef reportedly wanted to marry Cuomo, but the ex-governor said he couldn't marry her because he was Catholic. Cuomo, who is Catholic, told Lee that it wouldn't be proper to remarry as a divorced man, according to the Daily Mail.
Of course, Cuomo's infidelity is now back in the headlines after sexual harassment allegations forced the governor to resign. Lee hasn't commented about Cuomo's scandal directly, but sources told the New York Post that Lee is concerned about the situation's impact on Cuomo's three daughters Michaela, Cara, and Mariah. However, Lee has since moved on, relocating from New York to Malibu, California, and dating actor Ben Youcef, who is 13 years her junior, according to the Daily Mail. So how has Cuomo attempted to move on from Lee?
Andrew Cuomo wanted to date a "fit" woman after Sandra Lee split
After his breakup with longtime girlfriend Sandra Lee, Andrew Cuomo said he wanted to date a "fit" woman, according to the New York Post. Reportedly, the former New York governor wanted to find a woman who "could keep up with him." Documents released on November 29 included testimony from Cuomo adviser and lawyer Steve Cohen. Cuomo talked to Cohen about his love life, confessing that he wanted to find a new partner after his 2019 split from Lee. "When he broke up with Sandra Lee, he had a conversation with me about it," Cohen said. "He said he was now looking for — you know, to date again." Cohen continued, "I think he gave me general — a general notion of height."
Cohen also disclosed he'd heard gossip about Cuomo's involvement with his staffers but that he thought it was an unproven rumor. The Post noted that new files reflected testimony showing that Cuomo boasted about his fitness and that the ex-governor would "privately crack sexual jokes — such as questioning his masculinity — and flirted with guests at campaign fundraisers." RadarOnline reported in November that a female trooper told investigators she also heard about Cuomo "making out" with aide Melissa De Rosa; however, she added, "I didn't witness this. I wasn't even here at the time. But that's what I had heard."
Andrew Cuomo may take more time to move on from Sandra Lee
Andrew Cuomo and Sandra Lee were together for 14 years when they broke up in 2019. Because the former celebrity couple was together so long, it may take Cuomo more time than he realizes to move on. In August, a source told the New York Post that Lee considers Cuomo's three daughters like her own. The inside source told the Post, "Sandra has spent her whole life advocating for women," the source shared. "...She is a woman's woman and a mother first and foremost and her love is with Andrew's daughters." Previously, in April he ex-governor called Lee a "godsend" and praised her for playing a big role in helping him raise his daughters, per the New York Post.
The 63-year-old former governor shares his daughters with his ex-wife of 15 years, Kerry Kennedy. Kennedy, who is Bobby Kennedy's seventh child, divorced from Cuomo divorced in 2005 after Cuomo discovered his wife was having an affair with one of his friends, polo player Bruce Colley, according to the Daily Mail. The outlet noted Cuomo met Lee at a Hamptons cocktail party in late 2005, they grew serious the following year, and the celebrity chef moved to New York from California.
To sum up, Cuomo was married for 15 years, divorced, and got into a serious relationship with Lee the same year. Given everything the former New York leader has going on right now, it may be the time for some solitude.
Andrew Cuomo has his hands full
It might be healthy for Andrew Cuomo to focus on other parts of his life and put his love life on the back burner as he is now facing new legal challenges. On December 3, federal prosecutors announced they had broadened their scrutiny of former Governor Cuomo to include a civil rights investigation, per The New York Times. Cuomo's spokesman Rich Azzopardi responded to the latest legal allegations against the ex-governor, telling the Times, "Our understanding is that the Civil Division opened an inquiry in August based upon the A.G.'s politically motivated sham report and we have heard nothing since."
In addition, the ex-governor is possibly devoting some of his attention to his younger brother. Chris Cuomo was fired from CNN on December 4 after the network discovered "additional information" about the help the CNN anchor gave Andrew on the sexual harassment allegations against him. CNN said in a statement that the network understood the "unique position he [Chris] was in and understood his need to put family first and job second." Another bombshell dropped on December 5, when news broke that a sexual misconduct allegation against Chris was another reason CNN fired the primetime anchorman.