The culinary star, the longtime partner of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, went public with her early stage breast cancer diagnosis in May (15) and subsequently went under the knife to avoid radiotherapy treatment.

She struggled with an infection which required another operation last month (Aug15), but now Lee has revealed she has beaten the disease and she credits early detection for her health victory.

Sharing the good news on Tuesday (22Sep15), the 49 year old told U.S. breakfast show Good Morning America, "I am cancer-free and ready to go."

She adds, "What... early detection does is give you every option in the world. And that is what I took."

Lee returned to the spotlight on Sunday (19Sep15) when she walked the red carpet at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.