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Sandra Lee has a handsome new man, but she still feels the scars of her breakup with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to sources familiar with her.
As Page Six revealed yesterday, the 55-year-old lifestyle guru is now dating Ben Youcef, an Algerian interfaith leader, actor, writer and producer who is 46 years old.
And she wore what appeared to be an engagement ring as the two relaxed together in Saint-Tropez, southern France.
But relatives of Lee have said she has struggled to get her life back on track for the past two years following her split with Cuomo and her high-profile battle with breast cancer.
“It’s very difficult for Sandra to move on – she hasn’t finished healing her wounds,” a friend said. “She’s just trying to do her best to keep her head above water right now.”
And this week’s explosive report from Attorney General Letitia James that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women is another source of torment, the source said.
“It was all extremely horrible and painful for her to read,” the friend said, noting that Cuomo’s alleged cheating on Lee during their time together was an “open secret,” as reported by The Post in April.
“Her heart was completely broken when she separated from Andrew, she never even talked about her time with him, she always kept her mouth shut. She’s just trying to find some kind of solace and happiness.
Lee and Cuomo announced the end of their 14-year relationship in September 2019, prompting Lee to move to Malibu, Calif., Where she purchased a $ 3.4 million beach house.
“This is the first joy Sandra has had in years, but it’s really not accurate to say that she’s moved on,” another source said.
“She has spent the last two years in anguish since her separation from Andrew. She had to cross the country to get her life back in hand.
The one thing Lee has always been firm on is his love for Cuomo’s daughters with ex-wife Kerry Kennedy, whom she loves like her own, sources said.
All three – twins Mariah and Cara, 26, and Michaela, 23 – are Ivy League educated, and Lee made Cara an executive producer on her recent documentary Starz on Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“Girls are what interests him the most,” said a source.
Lee and Youcef reportedly met at a charity event in Santa Monica in March, with Youcef taking the first step.
A friend said the couple are reunited as they are both “rooted in spirituality”.
Another close source said, “We’re just happy for her. We want Sandra to be happy, she deserves it.
Youcef is a devoted father of five year old twins. He separated from his wife, California real estate agent Apryl Stephenson in 2019, and they filed for divorce in January 2020.
Director Steven Spielberg discovered Youcef and gave him his acting career as a Palestinian member of Black September in his 2005 film “Munich”.
Spielberg is said to have mentored Youcef – who trained at the theater in London – and persuaded him to take on the role of actor.
But Youcef has also turned down roles he says demean his community. He says he keeps his life in balance by reciting calls to prayer all over the world, as he has been doing since he was eight years old.
He has appeared in episodes of “Law & Order”, “CSI New York” and most recently on “SEAL Team” on CBS.
On her website, the former model wrote: “I was born in Algiers on the Mediterranean coast in a family of 7 children. Fighting for the attention of my siblings was probably the starting point of my acting career.
“My goal as an actor is to bring a new understanding of Middle Eastern culture to the rest of the world. My life integrates the Islamic spirit with modern energy. I still retain an almost naive way of seeing the world that comes from a truthful place of a child who was me.
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