Sandra Lee Denies She Has Split from Gov. Andrew Cuomo: 'We Are Still Very Much Together'
Sandra Lee is setting the record straight.
On Tuesday, the acclaimed chef and cookbook author, 52, addressed the status of her relationship with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, following speculation that they had split.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Lee said reports of a split couldn’t be further from the truth, as she and Cuomo “were still very much together” and simply choose to “keep our lives as private as possible.”
“Andrew and I are still very much together after 14 years,” Lee said. “We share three beautiful daughters that I helped raise and a beautiful home, Lily Pond, where we live. We keep our lives as private as possible — the exception of breast cancer and that is only to save other peoples lives!”
Lee also echoed her sentiments in an Instagram post, which was shared on Tuesday and featured a photo of the couple with Cuomo’s three daughters from his past marriage: Michaela, 21, and twins Mariah and Cara, 24.
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“Rumor mills abound… knock it off!” she began in her post, referencing one particular split report. “Literally getting emails from people in Japan asking me if I’m OK! Both Andrew and I confirmed before the breakup story ran but the story was not true. Both of us!”
“So for the record. I’m not getting a divorce. I am not getting married. I am not pregnant. Do not have terminal cancer. My blood type is not B negative it’s B positive!” she added. “Seriously people.”
A source close to Cuomo, 61, and Lee tells PEOPLE that speculation of a split began circulating after the couple recently listed their Lily Pond home on the market.
“She is selling the house and that’s what started the rumor mill,” a friend of the couple says. “At the moment they both reside at Lily Pond and will continue to so until the home sells.”
“She’s downsizing because it’s too much work maintaining and she doesn’t have staff and does it herself,” the source adds. “She’s also is selling her place in Georgia. She’s busy on so many different, new TV productions and caring for some sick family members.”
Lee and Cuomo began dating in 2005 after the New York governor split from his first wife, Kerry Kennedy.
Ten years later, Lee was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy in May 2015.
Speaking to PEOPLE a year after her procedure, the chef — who is now cancer-free — praised her boyfriend for remaining by her side, even with his own busy work schedule.
“He was wonderful,” Lee told PEOPLE in June 2016. “Even though he’s closing the legislative session now and was in the heat of all of his work, all work and focus, he never wavered and has always really been available and been there every step of the way.”
“It’s a true testament to dedication and loyalty and love,” she added of Cuomo. “There will never be enough time for me to thank him for the last year of support and love.”
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In 2008, the couple purchased a six-bedroom, six-bathroom property in New Castle, N.Y., property, which they call Lily Pond for the body of water in the front yard.
The 1940-build had been in the same family for decades and featured some less-than-delightful decor like circa. 1980 bunny-motif tiles in the kitchen and a powder room with a duck theme, so Lee and Cuomo remodeled it to their liking together.
Making the home feel warm and welcoming was always Lee’s top priority. “This house smells like cookies and feels like heaven,” she told PEOPLE last month while giving an exclusive tour of the estate.
“I think the most important thing, when you put a house together, is to make sure it reflects your family, and what your family stands for,” she added. “I want anyone and everyone who comes in here to feel like this is their home.”
