Sandra Lee Is Officially Moved out of the Home She Shared With Gov. Andrew Cuomo

In December of 2020, more than a year after chef Sandra Lee and Governor Andrew Cuomo announced their breakup after 14 years together, Sandra was seen moving her belongings out of the Westchester home the couple used to share. She also posted about the bittersweet move on Instagram, noting that the home had been the setting of beautiful moments over the past few years but that she is feeling ready to move on.

Sandra’s post brought up a lot of feelings in her followers, too — especially curiosity. Even though her breakup from Gov. Andrew Cuomo happened a while back, some people are still wondering why it happened at all. Here’s what we know.

In May of 2019, rumors that Sandra and Gov. Cuomo were on the rocks had already started swirling, but Sandra was adamant that the two of them were still together. “Andrew and I are still very much together. … We keep our lives as private as possible,” she wrote on Facebook. Just a few weeks later, though, the couple issued a joint statement revealing their decision to split.

“Over the recent past, we have realized that our lives have gone in different directions and our romantic relationship has turned into a deep friendship,” the statement read. “We will always be family and are fully supportive of each other and dedicated to the girls. Our personal lives remain personal and there will be no further comment.”

True to their word, both Sandra and Gov. Cuomo have remained quite tight-lipped about their relationship in the year since its dissolution. A person with knowledge of the couple’s relationship told The New York Times that Sandra’s “more public profile — and recent embrace of a more political role in her personal life — had caused friction with the governor,” although the governor’s office denied that.

Considering that Sandra and Gov. Cuomo both prefer to keep their private lives very private, we may not ever know the exact events that led to their breakup. However, we can’t help but assume that some of the recent accusations leveled against Gov. Cuomo may have left Sandra feeling some bit of relief that she is no longer romantically affiliated with the politician.

On Dec. 13, 2020, Lindsay Boylan — a former aide of Gov. Cuomo’s — accused him of sexual harassment, saying he would often discuss her physical appearance while she worked for him. “I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks,” Ms. Boylan — who is currently running for Manhattan borough president — wrote on Twitter. “Or would it be both in the same conversation?”

In another thread written earlier that same month, Ms. Boylan described working for Gov. Cuomo as being “beyond toxic” and “endlessly dispiriting.” Thus far, she has not made any specific allegations beyond her tweets and has said she has no interest in talking to journalists about the matter. 

A spokesperson for Gov. Cuomo flatly denied the accusations, as did Gov. Cuomo himself during a press conference on Monday, Dec. 14.