Bill de Blasio has been spotted strolling hand-in-hand with a Michigan-based woman - whose husband said they are still married.
The former New York mayor spent the day wandering Manhattan with Kristy Stark, a 42-year-old behavioral scientist and mother of two.
But Stark's husband Owen said that he had no idea his wife was spending time with de Blasio, 62 - and he had 'not been made aware' that she had filed for divorce.
Owen Stark, a radiologist, was asked by The New York Post whether Kristy Stark was his ex-wife, and replied: 'No, that's my wife.'
He said they had been married for 12 years.
Bill de Blasio, who stepped down as mayor of New York City at the end of 2021, announced in July he was separating from his wife of 30 years, Chirlane McCray
Kristy Stark is seen with her husband Owen in a March 2013 photo. On Thursday, he said she was not his 'ex-wife'
'I don't know anything about my wife holding hands with Bill de Blasio,' he told the paper, adding with sarcasm: 'Sounds wonderful.'
He said he would talk to her to try and understand what was happening.
'She's denied any sort of infidelity in the past,' he said. 'If she has something to tell me, she'll tell me.'
Kristy Stark later texted The New York Post to say she and her husband are 'in the process of getting a divorce.'
He then told the paper: 'I haven't seen any legal communication or been made aware of anything like that. You know as much or more than I do at this point.'
Kristy Stark, who has a master's from Harvard in education, is the founder and CEO of MindsEmerge, an education and literacy company based in Michigan.
It is not known how she and the former mayor met.
Stark studied for a master's in education at Harvard
Stark, on LinkedIn, says her company 'is a behavioral design social enterprise leveraging the science of early brain development to build effective, play-based educational tools'
Stark founded her own company, MindsEmerge, a year ago
De Blasio taught leadership at Harvard in the fall of 2022, and is listed on MindsEmerge's website as one of its 'experts & advisors.'
Last month it was announced that he will join the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy faculty in the winter of 2024.
The university is in Ann Arbor, where the Starks have a home.
De Blasio has not commented on his relationship with her.
The father of two announced in July this year that he and his wife of 30 years, Chirlane McCray, were separating.
They said they did not intend to divorce, but would see other people.
He has since been seen with several women at bars across the city. McCray's romantic life has been more discreet.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2Bc4SVb25scV%2BXtq24jJujmquZpHqsvsisq7Jlo6mus7eMqK6epl2owaK%2BymakopuYnrSiuo2hq6ak