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Captain Sandy of ‘Below Deck’ is dating gospel singer Leah Shafer

The love that “Below Deck Mediterranean” star Sandy Yawn has for girlfriend Leah Shafer extends beyond the high seas.

Discussing the relationship in a recent interview with The Cheat Sheet, the Bravo personality — Captain Sandy to “Below Deck” viewers — revealed gospel singer Shafer initially reached out to her on Facebook.

“She sent me a nice message that said, ‘I came across your show, congratulations, many blessings,'” Yawn said, noting Schafer’s line of “many blessings” grabbed her attention.

From their first meeting in Los Angeles last November, the sparks flew between Yawn and Shafer, who was married to fellow entertainer Ross Shafer for 20 years, according to her website, and has a 13-year-old daughter, Lauren.





“It was definitely unexpected,” Shafer recalled. “It just happened, when you meet another soul that you connect with at such a deep level, it is unexplainable and so beautiful.”

Yawn has since relocated from Los Angeles to Denver to be closer to Shafer, who said their passion for music brought them together.

“She has a passion for inspiring through music and the youth. And broken people and so do I coming from the gospel industry. That’s what brought us together,” Shafer said. “And then, of course, the attraction and falling in love with a beautiful soul and knowing you want to be with someone forever. I’ve never felt that way before.”

Since going public with the relationship, Shafer has endured backlash, as “some religious institutions have turned their back on her,” per The Cheat Sheet. But as Shafer said, “I think you can’t help who you fall in love with.”





“God is love. He doesn’t care,” she continued.

On Tuesday, Yawn gushed about the relationship on Twitter, writing “love is love.”





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