Sandra Lee updates GDNY on cancer free diagnosis

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Food Network Chef Sandra Lee has beat cancer following a double mastectomy in May. The longtime girlfriend of NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo told Good Day NY on Wednesday that she is happy and healthy.

"Today is my first day back to work," said Lee, 49. 

Lee was hospitalized last month and had to have additional surgery after struggling with infection following her original operation.

"It is common to have complications. They warned me that I would probably have complications. I let myself heal as much as I could. Going under for a four hour surgery, for my body, I don't do drugs. I'm not good on drugs. Andrew says you are not good on drugs," said Lee.

The svelte, blonde beauty made her first public appearance on Sunday, when she walked the red carpet at the Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.

Lee says she will wait until next year -- following a trip to the Super Bowl -- to decide whether to undergo reconstructive surgery.

But for Lee, there was no hesitation to undergo the double mastectomy.

"I was thrilled I made the decision I made. Then that NY Times article came out that we should take a wait and see approach to non-invasive cancer. My philosophy is no negotiating with cancer. You can't win," said Lee.

Because of the double mastectomy, Lee will not have to undergo radiation.

"It certainly is a life changer. You realize just how fragile our bodies are. I don't have the BRACA gene. Nobody in my family has breast cancer. I went in for a routine mammogram," said Lee.

With the Associated Press