Julia Lemigova

Julia Lemigova
Born	Yulia Andreevna Lemigova 6/26/1972
Birthplace	Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia)
Nationality	Russian
Occupation	Former fashion model, television personality, entrepreneur
Title	Miss USSR 1990
Known for	Miss USSR 1990, The Real Housewives of Miami
Spouse(s)	Martina Navratilova (m. 2014)
Children	5 (1 deceased)

Julia Lemigova (born Yulia Andreevna Lemigova; 26 June 1972) is a Russian former model, beauty pageant titleholder, entrepreneur, and television personality. She first gained international attention when she was crowned Miss USSR in 1990, one of the final holders of that title before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. She subsequently competed in the Miss Universe 1991 pageant, where she was named second runner-up. After her pageant career, Lemigova pursued modeling and business ventures, including the founding of a skincare and cosmetics line. She became widely known to American television audiences as a cast member of the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Miami, which featured her as part of the franchise's first openly lesbian couple alongside her wife, former tennis champion Martina Navratilova. The couple married in 2014 following a public proposal at the US Open tennis tournament. Lemigova's life has been marked by personal triumphs and significant hardships, including the loss of a child, and her story has been chronicled in both international media and the reality television format.

Early Life

Julia Lemigova was born Yulia Andreevna Lemigova on 26 June 1972 in Moscow, then part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union. She grew up during the final decades of the Soviet era, a period of significant political and social change in the country. Details about her parents, siblings, and childhood upbringing remain largely undocumented in publicly available English-language sources.

Lemigova came of age during the period of glasnost and perestroika under Mikhail Gorbachev, a time when the Soviet Union was opening up to Western cultural influences, including the beauty and fashion industries. The late 1980s saw the emergence of beauty pageants in the Soviet Union, which had previously been viewed with suspicion by the Communist authorities as expressions of Western bourgeois culture. The introduction of the Miss USSR competition represented a notable cultural shift, and Lemigova would become one of its most prominent titleholders.

Career

Beauty Pageants

In 1990, Lemigova won the Miss USSR title, making her one of the last women to hold that distinction before the Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991. The pageant was a significant cultural event in the rapidly changing Soviet society, and Lemigova's victory brought her considerable attention both domestically and internationally.

Following her win as Miss USSR, Lemigova went on to represent the Soviet Union at the Miss Universe 1991 pageant, where she placed as the second runner-up. This strong showing on the international stage further elevated her profile and opened doors to a career in modeling and fashion beyond the borders of her home country. Her performance at Miss Universe was notable as one of the highest placements achieved by a Soviet or Russian contestant in the competition's history at that time.

Modeling and Business Ventures

After her pageant career, Lemigova transitioned into professional modeling and eventually relocated to Western Europe and later the United States. She established herself in international fashion circles and became involved in various business ventures.

Lemigova founded Russie Blanche, a luxury skincare and cosmetics brand. The company's products were described as drawing on Russian beauty traditions and natural ingredients. The brand was marketed as a premium skincare line and reflected Lemigova's interest in beauty and wellness that had its roots in her pageant and modeling career.

In more recent years, Lemigova has pursued interests in healthy living and farming. She has been featured in media segments discussing healthy eating and organic food production. In a November 2025 profile in Boca Raton Magazine, Lemigova discussed beginning studies in classical voice and opera at Florida International University (FIU), describing the pursuit as a new chapter in her life that allowed her to rediscover a sense of passion and purpose alongside her family and farming endeavors.

The Real Housewives of Miami

In 2021, Lemigova was announced as a cast member of the rebooted The Real Housewives of Miami, which returned for a fourth season on the Peacock streaming service after having previously aired on Bravo from 2011 to 2013. Her inclusion in the cast was noted by media outlets as marking the first time an openly lesbian couple had been featured as central cast members in the Real Housewives franchise, with Lemigova's marriage to Martina Navratilova serving as a prominent storyline.

The show depicted various aspects of Lemigova's life, including her family dynamics, her relationship with Navratilova, her business interests, and her interactions with the other cast members. The series explored personal challenges, including Navratilova's health battles. Over the course of the show's run, Lemigova became a regular presence on the reality television series, appearing across multiple seasons.

The show's seventh season concluded in the fall of 2025. In March 2026, multiple outlets confirmed that Bravo had decided to pause production on The Real Housewives of Miami. According to Page Six, the decision came amid declining ratings, with the series failing to outperform some of the network's other programming. Just Jared also reported on the pause, noting that there had been uncertainty about the show's future following the conclusion of the seventh season.

Personal Life

Relationship with Edouard Stern

Before her relationship with Martina Navratilova, Lemigova was involved in a relationship with Edouard Stern, a French banker and financier. The relationship produced a son, though the child died in infancy under circumstances that received media scrutiny. The French newspaper Le Parisien reported on the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Stern's child in 2010. Stern himself was murdered in 2005, a case that drew extensive international media coverage. Vanity Fair published a detailed account of the case in its July 2005 issue. The loss of her son has been described by Lemigova in media appearances as one of the most difficult experiences of her life.

Marriage to Martina Navratilova

Lemigova began a relationship with retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova, and the couple's relationship became publicly known in the early 2010s. In September 2014, Navratilova proposed to Lemigova during the US Open tennis tournament in New York, an event that was captured on camera and widely reported in international media. The couple married later that year in December 2014 in New York.

In 2022, E! News reported that Lemigova and Navratilova had adopted two sons, expanding their family. Lemigova has five children in total, including one who is deceased.

The couple's marriage has been a subject of public discussion, particularly through The Real Housewives of Miami. In October 2025, Lemigova spoke to People magazine about the status of her marriage to Navratilova, following revelations that had emerged during the show's reunion episodes. Reports in October 2025 indicated that despite rumors and claims from fellow cast member Adriana de Moura that Navratilova had left Lemigova, the couple confirmed they were not divorcing.

Controversies

In March 2026, reports surfaced about an airport confrontation involving Lemigova, with some observers accusing her of staging the incident for attention related to her reality television profile.

Separately, Lemigova and Navratilova were the subject of controversy related to Navratilova's public comments on transgender athletes in women's sports. The couple was reportedly excluded from a holiday event organized by the Women's Miami Beach Association (WMBA) due to what the event's producers described as Navratilova's "anti-trans rhetoric." The incident was also reported by MSN, which noted that the exclusion stemmed from what were described as controversial views expressed by Navratilova on the topic.

Recognition

Lemigova's most significant pageant achievements include winning the Miss USSR title in 1990 and placing as second runner-up at the Miss Universe 1991 competition. These accomplishments placed her among the most prominent beauty pageant contestants to emerge from the Soviet Union during its final years.

Her role on The Real Housewives of Miami brought her recognition among American television audiences, particularly as one half of the franchise's first featured lesbian couple. The show provided a platform for Lemigova to discuss aspects of her personal history, her family life, and her business interests with a broad audience.

Lemigova's entrepreneurial work with Russie Blanche also garnered attention in the beauty and skincare industry, positioning her as a businesswoman in addition to her media career.