Sandra Lee’s romance still feels brand new three years after she and her fiancé began dating.
“It’s completely different. It’s almost like I’m reunited with my first love. And I think to him, I’m his first love,” the “Blue Ribbon Baking Championship” host told Fox News Digital.
She continued, “So it’s a completely different relationship than we’ve ever had before. And you know, all the things you go through with a first love are exactly the kind of things we go through. Some of it’s stupid, some of it’s not. And you know, it’s very present, every day. It’s like there’s no time off. We’re in it to win it.”
Lee is dating Ben Youcef, 44, an actor-producer.
Sandra Lee said her relationship with Ben Youcef was “completely different” and that she “almost felt like she was reliving her first love.” (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for the Elton John AIDS Foundation)
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She recently celebrated her 58th birthday on Instagram, sharing a series of photos of her and Ben kissing, with the caption: “Best birthday present ever was Ben! Thank you for chasing me down the street and not taking NO NO NO for an answer! You were right!”
“Thank you God for the chance to kiss such a wonderful man,” she added, also writing, “I am so grateful for my love!!”
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Lee’s romance with Youcef comes after a difficult decade marked by health and relationship problems.
“Let’s talk about how your life turned upside down. It was like being a pancake on a griddle and everything turned upside down. And I had gotten to the most perfect place. And all of a sudden, everything turned upside down,” she said of the past decade.
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“That’s the beautiful thing about life, it really shows you [that] you really have to enjoy the good times. And because the bad times are going to come, no matter who you are. And I thought I had already taken my hits, but, you know, life was going to show me that there were still some hiccups to overcome. And so I had to [take] “Over the last two years.”
In 2015, Lee was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and underwent a double mastectomy and then a complete hysterectomy.
“It’s almost like I’m reunited with my first love. And I think to him, I’m his first love.”
Four years later, in 2019, she and her longtime boyfriend, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, went through a very public breakup.
And during the breakup, she found out that her uncle, who she considered a father figure, had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and moved to California to care for him until his death in 2023.
Lee and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo split in 2019 after 14 years together. (Getty Images)
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“After my breakup, I moved to California to be with my uncle, and it turned out to be the best thing for me. And I got to spend time with him that I never would have gotten to spend. And we took so many trips together and checked off so many things on his bucket list, and that’s what I wanted to do, and that’s what I did,” she recalls.
Managing the whirlwind of emotions helped Lee learn a lot about herself.
“I just let it be. I just let it breathe. I really sat back and kind of observed what was happening and really leaned into who I wanted to be and who I thought I was,” Lee said.
She admitted: “Some of the decisions I made were very petty, very difficult, heartbreaking and over which I had no control, other than how I was going to handle them.”
“I just sat back and observed what was happening and really focused on who I wanted to be and who I thought I was,” Lee said of how he overcame the last decade of hardship. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for GLAAD)
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“One day at a time, that’s exactly what I did. Literally one day at a time. I took my time,” Lee said of managing her life, revealing that much of her New York home that she packed up when she moved to California is still in storage “because I wasn’t able to take care of it until this year.”
“I’ve let myself go through every piece and every part of this life. And it’s still not easy. Nothing’s easy. You know, 14 years of a life is… to go away, it’s not an easy thing.”
What has been easier is her relationship with Youcef, who, she jokes, “can’t get out of a box when cooking.”
“I mean, he just loves to eat, and I love to cook, so it works out really well,” Lee said, adding that his favorite meal is lamb chops with mashed potatoes, and maybe brownies for dessert.
Lee said Youcef “just loves to eat and I love to cook, so it works out really well.” (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter)
Cuomo’s ex-wife Sandra Lee and fiancé Ben Youcef return to US after politician’s ouster
“Every relationship is unique. Every relationship has special things and every relationship has challenges. It’s just a question of whether you can handle the challenges that come with being in a relationship with a particular person. Sometimes it’s yes, and sometimes it’s because life is too short.”
Lee said she has no plans to marry Youcef yet, instead focusing on her new series, “The Blue Ribbon Baking Championship,” on Netflix.
Lee created and co-hosts “The Blue Ribbon Baking Championship” on Netflix. (Courtesy of Netflix. © 2024)
Not only does she co-host the show with “American Pie” star Jason Biggs, she also serves as a judge with former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses and award-winning artisan baker Bryan Ford.
The “Semi-Homemade” star loved watching the contestants not only compete, but also come together, even with prizes like $100,000 and a Best in Fair blue ribbon on the line.
“Nothing is easy. You know, 14 years of a life, it’s… to forget, it’s not an easy thing.”
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“I love that they help each other when one of them is in trouble. They leave their posts and help their competitors, not to their detriment, but enough to help them get through a challenge. And they’re really happy for each other,” she said.
For Lee, the show also highlights a certain slice of authentic America with its state and county fair aesthetic.
“To me, when you look at who we are as America, it’s the people who go to state fairs. They’re very popular with kids,” she said.
She went on to recall her own fond memories of visiting fairs as a child.
Lee said she enjoyed the camaraderie of the competitors, saying, “They would step up and help their fellow competitors, not to the detriment of themselves, but enough to help them get through a tough stage.” (Courtesy of Netflix. © 2024)
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“I remember what I ate, I remember my first kiss on the streetcar going through the fair with a boy named Ben when I was 13. It’s like the state fairs are real. You eat, you have fun, you go on rides, you play with your friends, you hang out, you know, it’s good fun, pure fun.”
“Blue Ribbon Baking Championship” has also been a labor of love for Lee. She created the show 12 years ago and found that even after all that time, there were still last-minute changes that needed to be made.
Lee said working on “The Blue Ribbon Baking Championship” brought back all her fond memories of going to state and county fairs as a child. (Courtesy of Netflix. © 2024)
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“It’s a living thing. I mean, in the middle of the first day of shooting, we decided we were going to shoot it like any other cooking competition where you stop, people go home and everyone’s rested, and everyone’s fine. And we looked at it, we were like, this is not real life. This is not what’s going on in the world. This is $100,000, you know, somebody has to be the best baker with all the stress and all the pressure and all the challenges. And so we aired this show in real time. And these bakers are cooking in real time. If it’s a day, it’s a real day. And it’s a lot of work and a lot of stress and a lot of energy and a lot of focus. But it’s also a lot of joy and it makes for incredible television.”
“The Blue Ribbon Baking Championship” is now streaming on Netflix.
