The Real Reason Sandra Lee And Andrew Cuomo Broke Up

When New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and his longtime live-in girlfriend, Food Network star and lifestyle guru Sandra Lee, split in September 2019, they issued a joint statement. "Over the recent past," it explained, "we have realized that our lives have gone in different directions and our romantic relationship has turned into a deep friendship." The statement went on a bit further, reiterating the now-former couple's mutual dedication to Cuomo's three daughters with his former wife, Kerry Kennedy-Cuomo, but the bottom line message was that the two were parting amicably, and the rest was nobody else's business (via LoHud). 

More than a year and a half has passed since then, during which time the former couple has appeared to remain close friends. In April 2020, Lee told "Today" she'd been communicating with Cuomo "almost every day" during the COVID-19 pandemic. "He's still my guy," Lee said. "Neither one of us, well as far as I know, has had a date." Whether that remains the case is unclear, but Cuomo has told People that he doesn't think he could devote the necessary time or energy to a significant other while the pandemic is still a factor.

And Lee isn't speaking publicly about her private life, according to the New York Post. Nor is she commenting on allegations made by several women that Cuomo behaved inappropriately toward them while Lee and Cuomo were still involved. And therein lies the rub, according to The Post: could Lee's silence belie the real reason she and Andrew Cuomo broke up? 

In 2019, the romance between New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and Food Network star Sandra Lee "suddenly unraveled" (via New York Post), and despite the former couple's joint statement that the relationship had simply run its course, some have speculated the "real reason" for the breakup had yet to be revealed. Now, as several women have come forward alleging sexual misconduct by Cuomo, and it's become clear that the alleged misconduct would have occurred while Cuomo and Lee were still together, the New York Post is adding fuel to the speculative fire. Specifically, it appears The Post is suggesting Lee's silence in the wake of these allegations may be a "clue" that the real reason Lee and Cuomo ended their relationship was Cuomo's infidelity.

"Lee, ever composed, remains outwardly stoic and above the fray — even as multiple sources told The Post they suspect ­Cuomo was cheating on her with at least one staffer and possibly several," The Post wrote on April 3, 2021. "The question is, is Sandra being silent out of grace and dignity, or is she being silenced out of fear of retaliation?" Lee, not surprisingly, had no comment.

Of course, only Sandra Lee and Andrew Cuomo are qualified to say what drove their estrangement. So, for now, their September 2019 joint statement would appear to be the only one that matters.