As of April 2026, Sang Heon Lee has no confirmed girlfriend. The XO, Kitty star has been notably tight-lipped about his romantic life since his debut — a choice that seems entirely deliberate, and one that hasn’t dimmed his fanbase one bit.
With Season 3 of the Netflix teen romance landing on April 2, 2026, curiosity about the actor behind Min Ho has never been higher. Here’s everything that’s actually verified about his relationship history, his co-star chemistry, and why he keeps his private life so firmly out of the spotlight.
Does Sang Heon Lee Have a Girlfriend?
As of April 2026, Sang Heon Lee has no publicly confirmed girlfriend. He has made no official statements about being in a relationship and has not introduced anyone as a romantic partner in interviews, on social media, or at public appearances. The short answer: he appears to be single, by most accounts.
That matters, because his Instagram — 3.5 million followers and growing — offers almost no clues either way. His feed is a steady rotation of travel photography, behind-the-scenes content from sets, and food he’s made himself. Relationships, if they exist, aren’t part of what he shares publicly.
What fuels the questions isn’t anything he’s done. It’s his on-screen chemistry with co-star Anna Cathcart, which registers so clearly that it has spawned an entire dedicated fan community. More on that below.
The truly unusual thing about his level of fame: an actor at 29 with 3.5 million Instagram followers, a Netflix hit in its third season, and a well-documented fan community that obsessively follows his every appearance — and still, genuinely nothing confirmed about his romantic life in three years of public life.
Who Is Sang Heon Lee?
Sang Heon Lee (이상헌) was born on May 21, 1996, in Seoul, South Korea. He’s 29. But his childhood wasn’t spent in Seoul — his father’s work in the construction industry moved the family to Hong Kong, where he and his older sister Gia Kim grew up together and attended Island School.
Drama caught his attention during those school years. By the time he left Hong Kong for England, he had a clear direction: he enrolled in a Drama program at the University of Northampton. After graduating, he returned to South Korea to complete two years of mandatory military service, a requirement for all South Korean men.
His professional acting career essentially started from zero after the military. He worked as a model, did background work, and appeared in documentary reenactments. Not exactly a conventional path to a Netflix lead role. Then his sister, who had already been building her own acting profile, suggested he send in an audition tape for a new Netflix show called XO, Kitty. It was the first real audition he had ever submitted for a major role.
He got it. The show launched in May 2023. He’s been playing Min-ho Moon ever since.
Beyond XO, Kitty, his filmography includes a small role in the 2023 Sony film Gran Turismo, based on the life of racing driver Jann Mardenborough, and a lead role in the 2024 Viu romantic miniseries Secret Ingredient, shot in the Philippines alongside actress Julia Barretto.
Off camera: he’s an avid rock climber, and he taught himself to cook during his university years in England by watching Gordon Ramsay’s YouTube videos. That detail, almost too charming to be true, he’s mentioned in multiple interviews.
Sang Heon Lee and Anna Cathcart: On-Screen vs. Real Life
Sang Heon Lee and Anna Cathcart co-star as Min Ho and Kitty in XO, Kitty, and while their on-screen chemistry is genuine and obvious, both actors have consistently described their relationship off-set as a close friendship. There is no confirmed off-screen romance between them as of April 2026.
The story has a layer that makes it genuinely unusual. Gia Kim, who plays Yuri Han in the series, is Sang Heon Lee’s real-life older sister. She’s the one who pushed him to audition. The production team reportedly didn’t realize they were siblings until after both had passed auditions and been cast. Fans only found out after Season 1 aired. A whole season of watching them interact on screen, not knowing they were actual family.
The ship name for Min Ho and Kitty is “Mooncovey”, combining the characters’ surnames, and it has its own dedicated subreddit, r/mooncoveyXO, alongside the main r/XOKittyNetflix community. When the cast attended the 2026 Unforgettable Awards in March, the photo of Anna and Sang Heon together pulled 142 upvotes in r/XOKittyNetflix within days.
“He’s genuinely so private about his personal life. He never really talks about dating or relationships in interviews.”
— r/XOKittyNetflix community, March 2026 (15 upvotes)
Anna Cathcart did spark her own separate romance rumors in February 2026. On February 22, she posted an Instagram carousel from a New York trip, vacation photos that included a man in a black hoodie whose face was deliberately kept out of frame. She stayed at the JW Marriott Essex House in New York. Fans responded with “our girl is in love” and “straight out of a movie.” The mystery man’s identity was never confirmed, and he appears unconnected to Sang Heon Lee.
In XO, Kitty Season 3, which premiered April 2, 2026 on Netflix with all eight episodes released simultaneously, the characters do end up together. Min Ho and Kitty go on a yacht trip to Busan, start dating, hit a rough patch, and reconcile in the finale. The story the show tells is romantic and complete. The story off-set remains, deliberately, untold.
Why Sang Heon Lee Keeps His Personal Life Private
Sang Heon Lee’s approach to privacy has been consistent across every platform and every interview since 2023. His social media focuses almost entirely on travel, career milestones, and food, and has never hinted at a romantic relationship across three full years of growing public fame. For a celebrity at his level, that’s unusual.
He didn’t even disclose his family connection to Gia Kim when he joined the XO, Kitty cast. The production company found out organically. That’s the level of personal information he withholds by default, even when the information is something as innocuous as “my co-star is my sister.”
In a 2026 Forbes interview about his work on XO, Kitty, he discussed his career trajectory and the experience of playing a rom-com lead without once touching on his own relationships. His public statements across multiple interview outlets over three years follow the same pattern: craft, experiences, food, travel, climbing. Not romance.
There’s something almost counterintuitive about it. Playing a romantic lead on a globally watched Netflix show, where the whole point is emotional vulnerability and falling for someone, then stepping off-set and sharing nothing. He’s made that gap very wide, and very consistent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sang Heon Lee dating Anna Cathcart?
No confirmed relationship exists between Sang Heon Lee and Anna Cathcart. Both have described each other as close friends, and neither has made any public statement suggesting a romantic relationship as of April 2026. Their characters date in XO, Kitty Season 3, but no off-screen relationship has been confirmed.
Who is Sang Heon Lee’s girlfriend in 2026?
As of April 2026, Sang Heon Lee has no publicly known girlfriend. He has not confirmed any romantic partner in interviews or on social media, and no credible reports of a relationship have emerged despite his significant public profile since 2023.
How old is Sang Heon Lee?
Sang Heon Lee was born on May 21, 1996, making him 29 years old as of 2026. He was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up primarily in Hong Kong.
Is Gia Kim Sang Heon Lee’s real sister?
Yes. Gia Kim, who plays Yuri Han in XO, Kitty, is Sang Heon Lee’s real-life older sister. She suggested he submit an audition tape for the show, which turned out to be his first major acting audition. The production team only discovered they were siblings after both were cast.
What happens with Min Ho and Kitty in XO, Kitty Season 3?
Warning: spoilers ahead. In Season 3, which premiered April 2, 2026 on Netflix, Kitty and Min Ho start dating after a yacht trip to Busan, go through a breakup, and ultimately reconcile in the season finale. All eight episodes were released simultaneously.
What is Sang Heon Lee’s Instagram?
Sang Heon Lee’s verified Instagram account is @sangheonleesh. As of April 2026, he has over 3.5 million followers. His posts focus primarily on travel, food, and career updates, he shares little about his personal or romantic life.
Has Sang Heon Lee ever publicly confirmed a relationship?
No. In the three years since his public profile rose with XO, Kitty in 2023, Sang Heon Lee has never publicly confirmed a romantic relationship. He’s known for maintaining a strict separation between his professional public persona and his private personal life.
What is “Mooncovey”?
Mooncovey is the fan ship name for Min Ho (Moon) and Kitty (Covey), the two main characters in XO, Kitty played by Sang Heon Lee and Anna Cathcart. The name combines their characters’ surnames. There is a dedicated fan community on Reddit at r/mooncoveyXO.
