{"id":218660,"date":"2021-04-04T05:14:25","date_gmt":"2021-04-04T02:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/inside-sandra-lee-and-andrew-cuomos-split\/"},"modified":"2021-04-04T05:14:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-04T02:14:25","slug":"inside-sandra-lee-and-andrew-cuomos-split","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/inside-sandra-lee-and-andrew-cuomos-split\/","title":{"rendered":"#Inside Sandra Lee and Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s split"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Inside Sandra Lee and Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s split<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cSANDREW\u201d was the perfect couple. The beautiful and warm TV cooking-show star softened the gruff, hard-charging governor\u2019s sharp edges. Her telegenic smile seemed to transform his perpetual scowl.<\/p>\n<p>During their 14 years together Sandra Lee never publicly criticized her life partner, and Andrew Cuomo gushed about the \u201cgodsend\u201d who helped him raise his three daughters. When she became sick with cancer, he was seen as a loving fixture by her side.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2019, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2019\/05\/14\/andrew-cuomo-and-sandra-lee-are-living-apart-amid-breakup-rumors\/?_ga=2.104213632.1866019421.1617303984-1788061946.1611677820\">the fairytale romance suddenly unraveled<\/a> and a disbelieving public clamored to know why. Now, as a tornado of sexual-harassment charges swirls around Cuomo, the first clues may be\u00a0emerging.<\/p>\n<p>Lee, ever composed, remains outwardly stoic and above the fray \u2014 even as multiple sources told The Post they suspect\u00a0\u00adCuomo was cheating on her with at least one staffer and possibly several.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSandra\u2019s gone silent and her silence is deafening,\u201d said the insider. \u201cThe question is, is Sandra being silent out of grace and dignity, or is she being silenced out of fear of retaliation?\u201d Lee did not comment.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"910\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"New York Post cover April 4 2021\" class=\"wp-image-17745572 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/04.METRO_.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/04.METRO_.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/04.METRO_.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/04.METRO_.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=910 910w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/04.METRO_.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1820 1820w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 910px\"\/><figcaption>The New York Post cover for April 4, 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cuomo told The Post: \u201cAny suggestion that I had a sexual relationship with any member of my staff or that I was unfaithful to Sandy is false.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following the devastating breakup, Lee, 54, started a new life in Malibu, Calif. She refused to speak to The Post about her relationship with Cuomo, 63, or the ugly allegations that have led to a state investigation and calls for impeachment.<\/p>\n<p>Still, reports and investigations into whether Cuomo sexually harassed staffers in and around the workplace have raised questions about how his alleged behavior affected his last long-term relationship, and if his pursuit of other women could have contributed to the mysterious break-up.<\/p>\n<p>The Post also spoke to staffers who claimed that Lee was kept at arm\u2019s-length while Cuomo spent time with favored colleagues around the clock. And the allegations from female staffers of improper flirting, touching and comments going back 21 years have raised questions about whether Cuomo was faithful during his relationship with Lee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAndrew is toxic. There\u2019s obviously a reason why Sandra moved to California \u2014 she literally could not have moved farther away from Andrew. She\u2019s on the edge of the Pacific,\u201d the insider added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Sandra Lee arrive at a state dinner at the White House for Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in 2016.\" class=\"wp-image-17744742 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Sandra Lee arrive at a state dinner at the White House in 2016. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Alex Brandon\/AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A former senior Cuomo staffer said ominously: \u201cAndrew\u2019s treatment of Sandra is part of the puzzle that will finalize the picture about this guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sources told The Post how Cuomo threw boozy parties at the pool house in the governor\u2019s mansion and \u201cmovie nights\u201d\u00a0attended by female staffers, all without Lee, who often <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ed to the West Coast to care for her family.<\/p>\n<p>While it is possible that such events were innocent \u2014 if awkward \u2014 morale-building exercises for the many staffers (male and female) in attendance, these details\u00a0form part of the pattern that emerged after former staffers spoke out about in<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ropriate behavior where lines between Cuomo\u2019s personal and professional lives became blurred.<\/p>\n<p>Five former Cuomo staffers told The Post they are convinced he\u00a0became involved, or pursued intimate relationships, with a small number of staffers while living with Lee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was an open secret,\u201d said one ex-aide. \u201cAndrew was sleeping with at least one other woman who wasn\u2019t Sandra\u201d before they officially ended their relationship.<\/p>\n<p>A second former staffer told how State Troopers who came to pick up Cuomo one morning at the home Cuomo and Lee shared in Mount Kisco, Westchester, were stunned to see him leave the house with a staffer. Asked if it was possible they had been working, the former staffer said it was doubtful: \u201cThere was no reason for this woman to be there so early.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Sandra Lee and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and daughters attend 49th annual New York pride parade.\" class=\"wp-image-17744752 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-family.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-family.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-family.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-family.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-family.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Sandra Lee and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his daughters attend the 49th annual New York Pride Parade.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Lev Radin\/Pacific Press\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cuomo, through a spokesman, denied any staffer ever spent the night at the Mount Kisco house, saying that occasionally staffers would meet him at the house in the morning so they could join his entourage for a ride to an event or meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Staffers also raised questions about Cuomo\u2019s travel arrangements. When Cuomo traveled to Jerusalem in March 2017, a third former staffer claimed the governor and a female staffer were booked into linked, adjoining rooms. Although this could have been entirely innocent, the source said suspicions were raised when official logs were changed to show a State Police officer staying in the adjacent room.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Cuomo claims this was ac\u00adcidental.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn trips, as a rule, only State Police security or advance staff were assigned to adjoining rooms with the governor \u2014 when I saw that the hotel had made a room assignment not keeping with that rule, I switched rooms so that I was in the adjoining room and the other staff person was moved across the hall,\u201d said Steve Cannon, who was the lead advance person on March 2017 Israel trip.<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo denied any liaisons during the Israel trip, and his spokesman provided a busy travel itinerary that showed Cuomo had \u00adalmost no free time.<\/p>\n<p>However, the document showed that he had a room at the King David Hotel, and a scheduling gap between a 7 p.m. meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his 12:45 a.m. flight home. Cuomo\u2019s office claimed the extra time was spent with Israeli <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>. The Israel part of the weekly schedule \u2014 unlike other days of the week where every event or meeting appeared with a list of names of staffers present \u2014 fails to list any member of his \u00adentourage.<\/p>\n<p>And it wasn\u2019t just geographical distance that may have pushed Lee and Cuomo apart. During the relationship, former staffers described how Cuomo would tell his office not to let Lee know where he was as he enjoyed drinks late at night at Docks, a seafood restaurant in the same building as the governor\u2019s Midtown office, with senior female staff. After entering through a back door leading from the office building to a private room, Cuomo would hold court, according to the former staffers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"Cuomo aides Melissa DeRosa and Annabel Walsh \" class=\"wp-image-17745696 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-aides.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-aides.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-aides.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-aides.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-aides.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Cuomo aides Melissa DeRosa and Annabel Walsh <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Lev Radin\/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire; LinkedIn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The flood of accusations from former staffers accusing Cuomo of inappropriate behavior in social scenarios (which he largely denies) raises questions about whether any of these round-the-clock interactions led to romantic relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo is notoriously secretive about his life and tightly controls what is revealed about his personal and working relationships, as evidenced by his continuing use of a BlackBerry, sources said. Even though Cuomo\u2019s office announced in November 2019 that staffers\u2019 BlackBerrys were being phased out for iPhones, the governor still uses one. According to Politico, Cuomo preferred BlackBerry\u2019s PIN-to-PIN messaging system to avoid paper trails. A former staffer told The Post: \u201cAndrew was extremely security-conscious; if he was doing anything, you would not be able to find it out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aside from the suspicion of romantic relationships, Cuomo also cultivated a \u201cmean girls\u201d atmosphere inside his office where he allowed his staff to make fun of Lee \u2014 and encouraged them to hide his calendar from her and prevent her from joining him at events.<\/p>\n<p>Former aide Ana Liss, one of the parade of \u00adCuomo accusers \u2014 who told The Wall Street Journal how the governor \u201casked her if she had a boyfriend, called her sweetheart, touched her on her lower back at a reception and once kissed her hand when she rose from her desk\u201d \u2014 confirmed to The Post that Lee was deliberately kept away from Cuomo\u2019s diary by staffers, including top current aide Melissa DeRosa and current Director of the Governor\u2019s Offices Stephanie Benton.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy understanding is that Sandra was viewed .\u2009.\u2009. as merely an accessory,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo\u2019s office countered that \u201cthe office e-mailed Sandra a schedule each night of the governor\u2019s movements for the following day.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-nypost-inline-default is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Sandra Lee attending the 15th Annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball at Cipriani Wall Street.\" class=\"wp-image-17744774 lazyload\" width=\"285\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=285 285w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=570 570w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 285px\"\/><figcaption>Sandra Lee attends the 15th Annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball at Cipriani Wall Street.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Theo Wargo\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Liss continued, \u201cI know from my time working there that Sandra was very clearly kept away from Andrew by the folks controlling his schedule. She was only brought forth in public on certain special occasions. Given the lack of frequency of their time spent together publicly and privately, it had a performative nature about it. It felt like watching Princess Diana. She [Sandra] is a beautiful, statuesque woman who complemented the governor\u2019s gruffness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe never stayed at the mansion that I was aware of,\u201d said Liss, who added that it \u201cdid strike me as odd that he was rarely at home with her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said\u00a0Lee did in fact spend time at the Albany mansion, just as Cuomo spent plenty of time at Lily Pond, the colonial-style Westchester estate where Lee had made a home for them. Azzopardi added that Cuomo did not have a Manhattan apartment. Liss countered that Cuomo often stayed at hotels in Manhattan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was Sandra\u2019s forever home, her dream home,\u201d Liss said. \u201cBut as a staff member for two years, I monitored Andrew\u2019s schedule every day, to know what he was doing and focused on. He spent most of his time in Manhattan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During scheduling calls, the ex-senior staffer recalled, \u201cI would ask whether Sandra was going on a trip with Andrew, and all the mean girls like Stephanie Benton and [current Cuomo director of scheduling] Annabel Walsh would start laughing and say nothing. They would be rolling their eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the last times \u201cthat Sandra attended an event with Andrew was the Pride Parade in the city in June 2018. She loved coming and it was a really important event to her.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Cuomo and Lee spent plenty of time at the Westchester home.\" class=\"wp-image-17744755 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-home.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-home.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-home.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-home.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-home.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Cuomo and Lee spent plenty of time at this Westchester home.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Douglas Healey<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAnd people from the office were hostile, they totally ignored her. She had her sunglasses on the whole time and looked so sad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAndrew humiliates people, one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Walsh and Benton did not return messages seeking comment.<\/p>\n<p>The Governor\u2019s Office denied Sandra was ill-treated by staff. \u201cSandra was very much part of the family and the office has nothing but respect for her,\u201d Azzopardi said.<\/p>\n<p>Away from Lee, Cuomo threw pool bashes that Liss described as turning into nights of boozing, although Cuomo\u2019s rep stresses that the governor does not drink.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking about the pool-house parties, the former senior staffer said: \u201cI attended them, You had to go \u2014 it was a sign you were senior in the administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although the staffer never saw any sexual activity, she found the arrangement uncomfortable. \u201cThey were so awkward, everyone standing around like court jesters, and Andrew would be watching you, he had a photographer there, even though it was \u00adbasically an internal staff meeting \u2014 it was creepy beyond belief.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I\u2019m certain that the same collection of people \u2014 his favorites \u2014 slept over there. Imagine how that looks to the rest of the office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On one occasion, Cuomo invited four female staffers to a movie-night sleepover at the mansion, the ex-senior staffer said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-nypost-inline-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"450\" alt=\"Ana Liss has alleged Andrew Cuomo's office is not safe for women to work.\" class=\"wp-image-17744792 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Ana-Liss-twitter.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Ana-Liss-twitter.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Ana-Liss-twitter.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Ana-Liss-twitter.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=600 600w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>Ana Liss has alleged Cuomo\u2019s office is not safe for women to work.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Twitter<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Azzopardi said\u00a0any informal gatherings at the governor\u2019s mansion, whether inside watching <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a> or having a meal and drinks in the pool house, were family-friendly and co-ed and never resulted in guests staying the night.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the extracurricular activities and the pattern of questionable behavior at work alleged by no less than seven women, Cuomo was famously portrayed as the doting boyfriend when Lee was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and underwent a grueling double mastectomy.<\/p>\n<p>Privately, those who worked for him pondered whether he was merely using his partner\u2019s illness as a publicity stunt.<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo even appeared wearing a mask and scrubs alongside Lee, who documented every aspect of her illness \u2014 from diagnosis to surgery and recovery \u2014 on camera for her HBO documentary \u201cRx: Early Detection, A Cancer Journey with Sandra Lee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter Sandy decided to make her breast-cancer diagnosis public, she and the governor vowed to fight for New York families together \u2014 it was a terribly painful time for the entire family and for someone to try to distort that is just wrong,\u201d said Azzopardi.<\/p>\n<p>In his 2014 book, \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/All-Things-Possible-Setbacks-Politics\/dp\/0062300083?tag=nypost-20\">All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics<\/a>,\u201d Cuomo gushed about Lee, writing: \u201cWhy she got involved with me I don\u2019t know. I was not much of a catch. But Sandy was. Smart, successful and gorgeous, she had launched her flagship show, \u2018Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee,\u2019 a few years earlier. She has enormous appeal to viewers and to readers of her books and magazine, who lead busy lives and to put good food on the table quickly. No marketing gimmick, her \u2018smart and simple\u2019 approach grew out of her hardscrabble beginnings: the eldest of five children, with an abusive mother and stepfather, Sandy had to shop and cook for the household and take care of her siblings \u2014 on welfare and food stamps \u2014 starting when she was 12 .\u2009.\u2009. more than a catch, Sandy was a godsend.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Cuomo with Lee in the hospital while she battled breast cancer in 2015.\" class=\"wp-image-17744761 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Cuomo with Lee in the hospital while she battled breast cancer in 2015.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He also praised her for being \u201can exquisitely kind, loving and nurturing person with an uncommon ability to connect with people. She was adept at taking care of three young girls as I was not. My children took to her immediately, and as they\u2019ve grown older, she has been a significant presence in their lives. We have made a family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Liss said of the cancer drama: \u201cBy that time, I wasn\u2019t working in the Governor\u2019s Office, but those of us not there who were still in touch speculated that he was using it as a p.r. stunt, something to add to his credibility as a man and politician who is a proclaimed feminist \u2014 even though internally within the workplace that he oversaw he was very much not pro-woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An insider close to the couple observed of Cuomo\u2019s workplace behavior: \u201cIf someone acts this badly in the office 12 hours a day, how do they come home and turn into Mr. Wonderful unless they are Jekyll and Hyde?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Sandra Lee, who recently moved to Malibu after vacating the home she shared with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, attends Brooke Burke's twice weekly Booty Burn workout class that she teaches in her backyard.\" class=\"wp-image-17744785 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Brooke-Burke-Sandra-Lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Brooke-Burke-Sandra-Lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Brooke-Burke-Sandra-Lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Brooke-Burke-Sandra-Lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Brooke-Burke-Sandra-Lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Sandra Lee, who moved to Malibu after vacating the home she shared with Cuomo, attends Brooke Burke\u2019s twice-weekly Booty Burn workout class that she teaches in her backyard.  <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Michael Simon\/startraksphoto.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cuomo\u2019s latest accuser, Sherry Vill, said Cuomo forcibly kissed her cheeks and made her uncomfortable while examining flood damage at her home. Other accusations range from groping a woman under her shirt and planting unwanted kisses, to asking inappropriate questions about sex and dating.<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic governor has said\u00a0he \u201cnever touched anyone inappropriately\u201d and \u201cnever made any inappropriate advances,\u201d and that no one ever told him at the time that he was making them uncomfortable. He has called some allegations false but apologized if his overly familiar behavior made anyone feel \u00aduncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo has also suggested that he was simply being an old-school politician in greeting people with hugs and kisses \u2014 and that \u201csensitivities\u201d have changed.<\/p>\n<p>An investigation into the sexual-harassment allegations is currently being led by attorneys Joon Kim, a former prosecutor with the US Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of New York, and Anne Clark, an employment-discrimination attorney. The duo was selected by state Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Letitia James, a Cuomo ally, to lead the probe.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Sandra Lee joined hundreds of participants riding motorcycles across the state to raise awareness about breast cancer in 2016.\" class=\"wp-image-17744769 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/sandra-lee-andrew-cuomo-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Cuomo and Sandra Lee joined hundreds of participants riding motorcycles across the state to raise awareness about breast cancer in 2016.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">ames Keivom\/NY Daily <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lee and Cuomo first met in 2005 while guests at a cocktail party at the Hamptons home of Domna Stanton, a French professor at the City University of New York, and were introduced by one of Lee\u2019s best friends, political adviser Alexandra Stanton, as Nancy Pelosi looked on.<\/p>\n<p>Though they were immediately smitten, they were each finalizing their respective divorces: Cuomo to Kerry Kennedy, the mother of his three daughters, and Lee to Bruce Karatz, the former CEO of KB Home. Karatz was 22 years Lee\u2019s senior and in 2010 he was convicted of lying about the backdating of stock options at the LA-based homebuilder firm. Besides house arrest at his Bel Air mansion, Karatz was sentenced to five years\u2019 probation, fined $1 million and ordered to do 2,000 hours of community service.<\/p>\n<p>Friends of Kerry Kennedy spoke of \u201cinstances of physical abuse\u201d in the marriage before they divorced in 2005, according to an author who published a book on Cuomo.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Shnayerson, a journalist and contributing editor with Vanity Fair, claimed that Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, slept in a locked bathroom several nights after Cuomo refused to leave the house when she told him she wanted a \u00addivorce.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Kerry Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo wave to the crowd as they leave St. Matthew's Cathedral after exchanging wedding vows.\" class=\"wp-image-17745586 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/kerry-kennedy-cuomo.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/kerry-kennedy-cuomo.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/kerry-kennedy-cuomo.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/kerry-kennedy-cuomo.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/kerry-kennedy-cuomo.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Kerry Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo wave to the crowd as they leave St. Matthew\u2019s Cathedral after exchanging wedding vows.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Bettmann\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been a human-rights activist, and for women who have abusive husbands,\u201d Kennedy allegedly told a friend, \u201cand here I am enduring this abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shnayerson also claimed Cuomo tried to punish Kennedy after the divorce was announced by leaking stories to the press about how she had an affair with a \u2018Republican polo player\u2019 so that the public would blame her, and the split would not harm his political career.<\/p>\n<p>As a couple, Cuomo and Lee maintained a low-key profile. She didn\u2019t campaign with him in his race for governor in 2010, and they appeared together only occasionally at official events. She explained their public shyness as a way of guarding their privacy. \u201cI have a partner,\u201d she told Harper\u2019s Bazaar in 2011, \u201cwho feels the exact same way as I do about protecting our personal relationship.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-nypost-inline-default is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Gov. Andrew Cuomo along with Sandra Lee and his daughter Cara Kennedy Cuomo in 2018.\" class=\"wp-image-17745589 lazyload\" width=\"273\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=273 273w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=546 546w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 273px\"\/><figcaption>Cuomo with Lee and his daughter Cara Kennedy Cuomo in 2018.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Douglas Healey<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cMore than anything now, I feel really lucky to have a relationship that\u2019s just mine and that I get to go home to, that\u2019s a safe haven, and that I have something that\u2019s not the whole world\u2019s, too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Lee \u2014 who has no children of her own \u2014 cherishes her relationships with Cuomo\u2019s daughters, Mariah, Cara and Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo.<\/p>\n<p>Lee and the girls grew so close that she continues to refer to them as her \u201cweekend daughters.\u201d They each had their own bedrooms at Lily Pond, the home Lee owned outright.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI adore Andrew\u2019s girls,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2021\/03\/01\/sandra-lee-and-cara-kennedy-cuomo-team-up-for-new-rgb-doc\/\">Lee told Page Six last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Lee and Cuomo never wed, but Lee dutifully threw herself into the role of political \u201cwife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSandra was reluctant to be New York\u2019s first lady, but she did it and put her all into it and invested herself into New York philanthropy,\u201d the insider who knows the couple said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd over the years her All-American image helped soften his Prince of Darkness image statewide and on the national stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recalling Cuomo\u2019s relationship with Lee, Liss \u2014 who recently met with investigators from the state AG\u2019s Office \u2014 said: \u201cOf the handful of interactions I had with Sandra, I thought that she was lovely. She always had her hands on the governor in such a way that I felt that she was enamored of him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At home in California, Lee has spent the past year working on new TV projects and working alongside major networks, while traveling to Arizona to care for her beloved Uncle Bill, who has just battled COVID.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Andrew Cuomo Sandra Lee arrive to cast their votes in 2018.\" class=\"wp-image-17745590 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/cuomo-sandra-lee-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Andrew Cuomo Sandra Lee arrive to cast their votes in 2018.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Caitlin Ochs\/Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SandraLee\">Her Facebook page<\/a> is filled with fans telling her they are glad she got out of her relationship with Cuomo and telling her to find new love.<\/p>\n<p>Ex-TV exec Rob Morhaim, who has known Lee for two decades, said Lee will weather this storm like she has all the others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSandra\u2019s a strong woman. Whatever she\u2019s going through, I doubt you will ever see her sweat,\u201d he said.\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/04\/03\/inside-sandra-lee-and-andrew-cuomos-split\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Inside Sandra Lee and Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s split&#8221; \u201cSANDREW\u201d was the perfect couple. The beautiful and warm TV cooking-show star softened the gruff, hard-charging governor\u2019s sharp edges. Her telegenic smile seemed to transform his perpetual scowl. During their 14 years together Sandra Lee never publicly criticized her life partner, and Andrew Cuomo gushed about the \u201cgodsend\u201d&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":218661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Sandra-Lee-Andrew-Cuomo-split.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[100650,70430,72522,93349,3885,100707,71007,71374],"class_list":["post-218660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-3-21","tag-andrew-cuomo","tag-celebrity-couples","tag-melissa-derosa","tag-new-york","tag-sandra-lee","tag-scandals","tag-sexual-harassment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}