She's back! After taking time to recover from her double mastectomy and follow-up surgery this past spring and summer, Sandra Lee made her first public appearance at the 2015 Emmys on Sunday, Sept. 20.
The chef and Semi-Homemade Cooking host, 49, wore a pale pink, vintage Thierry Mugler dress with a plunging neckline from the '70s. "She bought the vintage gown years before she could ever know the meaningful association its pink color would have for her," Lee's rep tells Us. The pink ribbon is, of course, the official symbol of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).
"Sandra has not had reconstruction," her rep shared, "But she is glad to have both surgeries of the spring and summer behind her. She is hopeful, and the dress made that statement."
In addition to hitting the red carpet, Lee also returned to social media that night, sharing a photo from mid-August with an inspiring note via Facebook.
Hello it's Sandy here, finally!I wanted to personally give you an update and to let you know that I needed . . .a…
Posted by Sandra Lee on Sunday, September 20, 2015
"I wanted to personally give you an update and to let you know that I needed…a little time. I needed a minute," Lee, who's been dating Governor Andrew Cuomo for almost a decade, began. "The last infection threw me a bit and I decided to focus and redirect all my energies internally. I physically and emotionally just needed to be silent and still while I healed. This has been an unreal chain of events in my life. I am still stunned, still digesting and still processing everything that has taken place this past year."
Lee, who's famous for her "semi-homemade" recipes, then added her thanks. "You all have been so great, so wonderfully supportive and so sweetly available to me so I want to take a minute and say thank you from the bottom of my heart," she wrote. "I am excited to be back now and I do have a few surprise (good ones) coming up very soon!!!"
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, Lee will sit down with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, a fellow cancer survivor, to share an exclusive update. And next weekend, Lee kicks off a trip around the country to support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure walks by cutting the starting line ribbon at the San Francisco Bay Area Race for the Cure on Sunday, Sept. 27. She'll also spread the word about awareness and early detection as a just-appointed ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer.