Sandra Lee The romance still feels new even three years into her relationship with her fiance.
“It's just completely different. It's almost like. It's almost like first love all over again for me. And I think for him, I'm his first love,” the Blue Ribbon Baking Championship host told Fox News Digital.
She continued, “So it's just a completely different relationship than I feel like we've both had before. And, you know, everything that you go through with a first love, that's exactly what we're going through. And some of it is silly and some of it is not. And, you know, it's very present, every day. It's like there's no time to rest. We're in this to win.”
Lee is dating 44-year-old Ben Youssef, an actor and producer.
Sandra Lee said her relationship with Ben Youssef is “completely different” and feels “like experiencing first love all over again.” (Michael Kovacs/Getty Images for The Elton John AIDS Foundation)
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She recently celebrated her 58th birthday on Instagram by sharing a series of photos of herself kissing Ben, writing in the caption: “Best birthday present ever is 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 letting me kiss such a wonderful man,” she added, also writing, “So grateful for my love!!”
Lee affair with Yusef came after a difficult decade marked by health and relationship problems.
“Talking about turning your life upside down. It was like being on a pancake and being flipped. And I had just gotten to the most perfect place. And then everything went wrong,” 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 the experience, but, you know, life was going to show me that there was still a lot of bad stuff to come. And so I [take] them over the last couple of years.”
In 2015, Li was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and underwent a double mastectomy followed by a total hysterectomy.
“For me, it's almost like experiencing my first love all over again. And I think for him, I'm his first love.”
Four years later, in 2019, she and her longtime boyfriend, ex New York Governor Andrew Cuomohad a very public breakup.
And during the breakup, she learned that her uncle, whom she considered a father figure, was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and she moved to California to care for him until his death in 2023.
Lee and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo separated in 2019 after 14 years of marriage. (Getty Images)
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“When I had my breakup, I moved to California to be with my uncle, and that was the best thing for me. And I got to spend time with him that I never would have been able to. And we went on so many trips together and did so many things on his bucket list, and that's what I wanted to do, and that's what I did,” she recalls.
By dealing with the whirlwind of emotions, Lee learned a lot about herself.
“I just let it be. I just let it happen. I just sat back and watched it happen, completely focused on who I wanted to be and who I thought I was,” Lee said.
She admitted: “Some of the decisions I made were very small and very hard to make, they were heartbreaking decisions, and other decisions I had no control over other than how I was going to deal with them.”
“I just sat back and watched what was happening and focused on who I wanted to be and who I thought I was,” Lee said of overcoming the challenges of the past decade. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for GLAAD)
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“I lived one day at a time. Literally one day at a time. I took my time,” Lee said of her life, sharing that much of her New York home, which she took with her when she moved to California, is still in storage “because I couldn't get it sorted out until this year.”
“I allow myself to go through each, each part and moment. And it's still not easy. Nothing is easy. You know, 14 years of life is… walking away from that, it's not easy.”
Her relationship with Yusef, who she jokes “can't cook out of a box,” has become easier.
“I mean, he just loves to eat and I love to cook, so it works out great,” Lee said, adding that his favorite meal is lamb chops with mashed potatoes and maybe some cake for dessert.
Lee said Yousef “just loves to eat and I love to cook, so it's just wonderful.” (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter)
“Every relationship is unique. Every relationship has something special, and every relationship has something difficult. The question is, 'Are you going to be able to handle the challenges that the particular person you're with is creating?' Sometimes it is, and sometimes life is just too short.”
Lee said she and Yousef have no wedding plans yet, instead focusing on her new Netflix series Blue Ribbon Baking Championship.
Lee created and co-hosts Netflix's Blue Ribbon Baking Championship. (Provided by Netflix. © 2024)
Not only does she host alongside American Pie star Jason Biggs, but she also serves on the judging panel alongside former White House Pastry Chef Bill Yosses and award-winning artisan baker Brian Ford.
The “Half Home” star loved watching the contestants not only compete but work together, even when prizes like $100,000 and a Best in Fair blue ribbon were on the line.
“Nothing comes easy. You know, 14 years of life is… walking away from that, it's not easy.”
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“I love that they help each other when one of them is in trouble and struggling. They would leave their stations and help their fellow competitors, not at their own expense, but enough to help them through their struggles. And they were really happy for each other,” she said.
Lee said the show also showcases a true American aesthetic with its state and county fairs.
“To me, when you look at who we are as America, it's the people who go to state fairs. They're loved by kids,” she said.
She continued, recalling her own fond memories of visiting fairs as a child.
Lee said she appreciated the camaraderie of the members, adding: “They left their stations and helped other members, not at the expense of themselves, but enough to overcome the difficulties.” (Provided by Netflix. © 2024)
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“I remember eating, I remember having my first kiss with a boy named Ben on a tram going through a fairground when I was 13. It was like fairs were a thing. You eat, you have fun, you go on rides, you play with your friends, you hang out, you know, it's good, clean fun.”
“The Blue Ribbon Baking Championship” was also a labor of love for Lee. She created the show 12 years ago and found that even after all that time, last-minute changes still had to be made.
Lee said working on “Championship Baking” brought back all the fond memories she had of going to state and county fairs as a child. (Provided by Netflix. © 2024)
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“It’s a living thing. I mean, right in the middle of the first, first day of filming, we decided that we were going to film it like any other food competition where you stop and people go home and everyone’s rested and everything’s fine. And we looked, we decided that’s not real life. That’s not how the world works. It’s $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 made this show in real time. And these bakers are baking in real time. If it’s a day, it’s a real day. And it’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of stress, and it’s a lot of energy, and it’s a lot of focus. But it’s also a lot of joy, and that’s what makes great television.”
Blue Ribbon Baking Championship is now streaming on Netflix.