While her old beau is feeling the political heat this week, Sandra Lee has been busy soaking up the sun with her new man in France.
The former chef and author is dating hunky Algerian interfaith leader, writer and producer Ben Youcef — her first romance since her split with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Page Six can exclusively reveal.
The besotted couple were spotted walking hand-in-hand while vacationing in St. Tropez this week, just as Cuomo fights for his political career.
Lee, wearing a flowing white summer dress with her blonde hair pinned up, and Youcef, 42, dressed casually in a white shirt and black pants, were seen beaming at the dinner table before taking a romantic walk in the South of France.
Lee, 55, was seen wearing a huge ring on her engagement finger, but friends declined to say what this meant.
A source told us: “Ben is a serious and accomplished nonprofit Interfaith leader providing the call to prayer heard all around the world.
“He is as beautiful inside as he is outside – they make a gorgeous couple. They’re both extremely spiritual.”
We’re told they’re both extremely grounded in spirituality.
It was actually Hollywood big shot Steven Spielberg who discovered Youcef and gave him his acting breaking as a Palestinian member of Black September in his 2005 movie, “Munich.” Spielberg apparently mentored Youcef — who trained in theater in London — and persuaded him to take on the acting role.
But he’s also turned down roles that he says demean his community. He says he keeps his life in balance by reciting calls to prayer all around the world, as he’s done since he was 8 years old.
Page Six revealed earlier this week that Lee had lost 25 pounds and was dating again after wowing guests at the LUISAVIAROMA and UNICEF Gala in Capri on Saturday.
It’s believed that the couple met at a charitable function in Los Angeles in the Spring.
Lee moved to Malibu after ending her 14-year relationship with Cuomo in September 2019.
As The Post reported in April, it was an “open secret” in Cuomo’s office that he had cheated on Lee during their time together.
Now, having happily moved on from Cuomo, Lee told People at the UNICEF gala: “I’m having the best summer of my life”.
It’s all a far cry from her ex — who is having the worst week of his political life.
This week, Cuomo was found to have sexually harassed multiple women in a bombshell report by Attorney General Letitia James.
The Post reported on Friday that an assistant to Cuomo who has accused him of groping her while they took a selfie together has now filed a criminal complaint against him with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Craig Apple told The Post that it’s possible the governor could be arrested if the allegations are substantiated.
Although Lee declined to comment on the Cuomo case, a source close to the celebrity lifestyle guru told us she was most worried for Cuomo’s daughters.
Lee considers his girls, Michaela, Cara and Mariah to be her own, and the source said: “Sandra has spent her whole life advocating for women, and her thoughts are obviously with these women who have bravely brought these issues to light,” the source said.
“She is a woman’s woman and a mother first and foremost and her love is with Andrew’s daughters, that’s the thing that she truly is concerned about.”
