Ben Youcef and Sandra Lee attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 32nd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 10, 2024 in West Hollywood, California.

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Sandra Lee and Ben Youcef End Their Engagement: Has She Ever Been Married?

Sandra Lee and Ben Youcef have called off their engagement and gone their separate ways. She has had a few long-term partners in the past.

by Andrea Francese

Published on April 22, 2026

2 min read

Sandra Lee and Ben Youcef end their engagement

Sandra Lee and Ben Youcef have called off their romance after five years together. TMZ reported the news, with Lee’s representative confirming that the couple had quietly called it quits. No direct reason for the canceled engagement was given.

Sandra Lee and Ben Youcef’s romance began back in 2021, when they met at a Santa Monica eatery. They began dating quickly and were planning their lives together within months. In August 2021, the pair announced their engagement, and while they insisted that they were actively planning a wedding, a ceremony never materialized. In recent months, Lee has been spending more time on the streets of New York instead of California, where she put down roots after ending her longtime romance with Andrew Cuomo.

Interestingly enough, TMZ caught up with Sandra Lee last week, and she was decidedly cagey when it came to her romance with Youcef. While the outlet pushed for information about her planned walk down the aisle, she tried to pivot the conversation to more professional topics. Based on her response to questions about her relationship, it seems things between Lee and Youcef cooled off long before TMZ caught up with her.

Sandra Lee has had other serious, high-profile romances

While Ben Youcef was Sandra Lee’s most recent romantic partner, he was not her most serious nor her longest romance. Prior to Youcef, Lee was in a long-term relationship with Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York.

Cuomo and Lee met back in 2005 and began a lengthy relationship. The pair lived together in Mount Kisco, NY, while Cuomo served as governor and Lee filmed in New York City. They split in 2019, months before Cuomo drew national attention for his COVID-19 response and coverage. In 2020, Lee sold the spacious abode and moved to California. While they shared a life together for more than a decade, they were never married, nor did they ever announce an engagement.

While Cuomo and Lee never managed to tie the knot, she was married once before. From 2001 until 2005, Sandra Lee was married to philanthropist Bruce Karatz. Lee never revealed the reason behind the split, though the couple cited irreconcilable differences in their filing. The divorce was finalized with a private settlement in 2006.