From presidential contender with an Emmy and a book deal to disgrace: The rise and fall of Andrew Cuomo

An Emmy, a best-selling book and potential presidential nomination: Andrew Cuomo was basking in a media-driven political paradise as the coronavirus ravaged New York.

But less than a year later the governor has fallen from a tremendous height: Three women have accused Mr Cuomo of sexual misconduct in a matter of days.

The first, special adviser to the governor Lindsey Boylan, claimed the governor forcibly kissed her in 2016.

Four days later former health adviser Charlotte Bennett, 25, described a conversation in which the governor asked her opinion on age differences in romantic relationships, adding that he was open to dating women in their twenties.

Just hours after the 63-year-old formally referred himself for investigation over the first two allegations, a third claim emerged.

Anna Ruch, 33, told The New York Times that he put his hand on her bare lower back - which she pushed away - and asked if he could kiss her at a wedding in September 2019.

The claims are the second scandal to hit the governor in recent weeks.

While Mr Cuomo filled a vacuum left by Donald Trump’s fumbling approach to the pandemic, New York state was underreporting Covid-19 deaths in care homes.

Almost half of deaths in these facilities were missing from public tolls until the end of January. The official count increased from 8,500 to more than 15,000, or a third of the entire state’s deaths.

On Monday New York attorney general Letitia James said that "allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously".

Mr James added that Mr Cuomo's office had agreed to her request to conduct an independent probe.

President Joe Biden backs such an investigation, according to his press secretary.

“There should be an independent review looking into these allegations, and that’s certainly something he supports and we believe should move forward as quickly as possible,” Jen Psaki told CNN’s State of the Union.

Mr Cuomo denies ever inappropriately touching or propositioning anyone. He said on Sunday he was "truly sorry" if his actions had ever been "misinterpreted".

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday slammed Mr Cuomo's statement responding to the allegations.

"That's not an apology. He seemed to be saying, 'Oh, I was just kidding around'," said Mr de Blasio, a long-time rival of the governor said. "Sexual harassment is not funny. It's serious."

Others are still questioning just how much Mr Cuomo knew about the crisis unfolding in nursing homes last year.

In a call with Democratic lawmakers at the beginning of February, Mr Cuomo’s top aide said the administration withheld data from an initial investigation because it wanted to avoid Mr Trump turning the statistics into “a giant political football”.

“Basically, we froze… What we start saying was going to be used against us,” Melissa DeRosa said in the call’s transcript.

Mr Cuomo confessed that his administration had been slow to release data, adding that the gap gave life to "conspiracy theories which furthered the confusion”.

The staff were "too focused on doing the job and addressing the crisis of the moment,” he reasoned.

A federal investigation is now looking into whether the governor’s task force manipulated the figures.

“Apologise?” Mr Cuomo said, an hour into a press briefing designed to calm the situation. “Look, I have said repeatedly, we made a mistake.”

Under his leadership New York implemented lockdown and social distancing guidelines, worked to improve hospital capacity and rolled out the most thorough testing regime in the United States.

Succinct press conferences gave reassurance to New Yorkers, and were revered both across the country and internationally. Mr Cuomo received an Emmy for his efforts.

“Andrew Cuomo Is the Control Freak We Need Right Now,” the New York Times wrote in March.

At the height of Cuomo mania, rumours suggested he could replace Joe Biden for the presidential ticket.

He became a pop-culture icon. Twitter users idolised him, calling him a “badass” and even debating if he had nipple piercings.

The rumours were so fierce that New York Magazine dedicated an investigation entitled ‘What’s the Deal With Andrew Cuomo’s Nipples?’

Mr Cuomo’s senior aide was forced to deny the speculation. “Of course not, sorry, internet,” Rich Azzopardi told The New York Post.

The governor then published a best selling memoir to provide “leadership lessons” from the pandemic. It sold 11,800 copies within a week of its release.

"It was absurd," said Lincoln Mitchell, a politics expert from Columbia University.

Many argue Mr Cuomo’s drop in approval was inevitable given that he won plaudits simply because he was better than Mr Trump.

"We now have an administration in Washington that is able to reckon with Covid in an earnest way, to listen to the science and to communicate effectively," said Professor Mitchell.

"I don't know anyone, even in New York or Washington, who watches his briefings anymore.”

The most critical of Mr Cuomo accuse him of covering up the nursing home scandal to protect this carefully curated image.

The executive powers given to Mr Cuomo last year are being reconsidered by the Democratically controlled state senate, while Republicans are demanding resignations from senior figures in his administration.

"The star has fallen quite a bit," professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, Jacob Neiheisel, said.