Who did Julia Lemigova date before marrying Martina Navratilova? 'RHOM' star reveals 9 failed engagements before meeting wife
MIAMI, FLORIDA: Julia Lemigova nearly made nine separate trips down the aisle before she married Martina Navratilova. This information was revealed in a Bravo teaser for the November 8, 2023 episode of 'The Real Housewives of Miami'.
After a heated breakup with her estranged husband, Lenny, Lisa Hochstein, one of the housewives, discusses moving on with her new boyfriend, Jody Glidden, while dining with her co-stars Dr. Nicole Martin, Adriana de Moura, and Guerdy Abraira.
Adriana de Moura reveals that Lisa and Jody are considering the purchase of a home together, a move Nicole Martin deems 'quick.'
"But if you feel like you don’t want to be single, and I like this person, why not? Life is too short," Julia went on.
In response to Guerdy's question about her history of engagements, Julia quipped, "You would drop to the floor if I told you. I would literally have to stop and count."
"More than five?" Nicole asked.
"Stop!" Julia exclaimed.
Julia began recounting the number of times she had been engaged, reflecting aloud to the women, "One time when I was 18 with a guy in LA, and then same year an English boy and then possibly one girl, and then, uhh, oh God,"
During her confession, Julia attempted to recount her past engagements. "How many did I count already? Five or six?" she inquired.
A producer clarified, "You're on six."
"Already? But then it was a marriage with Martina. Nine! Oops. Oh My God," she chuckled. "Martina won nine Wimbledons and I had nine engagements. Oh my God, I didn’t say that!!"
When did 'RHOM's Julia Lemigova meet Martina Navratilova?
In 2000, Julia, then a model, spotted a tennis player from across a pub in Paris. "I looked over my shoulder, and there was Martina. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ She says I gave her one of those James Bond looks," she shared on the "Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino" podcast.
"She approached me and introduced herself. Unfortunately, that's where our moment ended. Something might have happened, but it didn’t," the 'RHOM' star elaborated during the Season 4 premiere.
Over the years, Julia had two children.
"Exactly eight years later, on the day … deja vu, during the French Open, I bump into Martina, and I said, ‘How about a breakfast?'" Julia continued throughout the episode.
"We had breakfast the next day, and then the next day, and then the third day. And then she moved in," she said.
When did 'RHOM's Julia Lemigova marry Martina Navratilova?
Julia expressed initial hesitation about revealing their relationship after their reunion in 2008, but she found courage when her young daughters boldly told their peers they had two moms. At the 2014 US Open, the tennis icon proposed to the model.
"I have been waiting for the right time to ask Julia to marry me," Martina explained to the audience. "I thought this was the right place and the right time to pop the question, and thankfully, I got a yes."
They tied the knot on December 15, 2014.
'RHOM' wife Martina Navratilova’s cancer battle
In January 2023, Martina, who had been previously diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, faced a new challenge as she revealed her battle against two types of cancer simultaneously: throat cancer and a separate instance of breast cancer.
She first noticed an issue during the WTA Finals in November, where an enlarged lymph node was discovered. A biopsy later confirmed stage one throat cancer, and during further examinations, an unrelated lump on her breast was also identified as cancerous.
Recalling her reaction during the biopsy, she shared with Piers Morgan on 'Uncensored', "That’s when I started crying on the table as she’s getting samples out of my boob, and I’m like, ‘Oh great, now I have two cancers at the same time."
Martina recently announced her victory over the disease, stating, "I mean, as far as they know, I’m cancer-free... I definitely won’t be missing any of my check-ups. I will be very, very diligent about it, but the prognosis is excellent. But you never know," she told Piers.
'The Real Housewives of Miami' Season 6 airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on Bravo, and the next day on Peacock.