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Julia Lemigova Shares an Unexpected Update on Her and Martina Navratilova's Adoption Plans
The RHOM cast member had put her adoption journey "on hold" following her wife's cancer diagnosis.
Julia Lemigova is holding out hope for another child.
The former model spoke about expanding her family in Season 5, Episode 13 of The Real Housewives of Miami, which followed the ladies during their group trip to the Bahamas. Julia told her castmate Guerdy Abraira that she and her wife, Martina Navratilova, were looking into adopting a baby as she was quickly approaching empty nester life.
"Martina and I are going to do our best to try to — oh my god, I'm having chills," she said during the February 9 episode. "We're going to adopt a baby. If tomorrow they (the adoption agency) called me to say there was a little boy who needs a home, I mean, I would just collapse on the floor and die."
"Everything in life is meant to be," Guerdy responded.
Fast-forward to the Season 5 reunion special, when Julia revealed her adoption plans were put on hold in light of Martina’s health issues. The retired tennis player announced she had been diagnosed with Stage 1 throat and early-stage breast cancers in late 2022, more than a decade after her first cancer battle.
Why Julia Lemigova and Martina Navratilova stalled their adoption plans
“When you’re adopting a child, it has to be about the child,” Julia told reunion host Andy Cohen. “And, right now, it’s everything about Martina, and for her [to be] getting healthy… So, we’re putting [adoption] on hold. You know, we were thinking [that at] any moment, the agency would call and give us happy news that we’re going to have a baby… Instead, we are fighting two cancers. Like one was not enough.”
Back in March, Martina revealed she was officially cancer-free, but said her and Julia's adoption journey was unlikely to resume.
“We hired an agency. [Our daughter] Victoria went to live in Europe for the last two years of high school and the emptiness really hit [Julia]. I’m like, 'Go, go.' Julia’s like, 'No, come back,'" Martina said during a sit-down on Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I think [adoption] was a nice thought for a while, but I think [the cancer diagnosis] has brought it into sharp focus. You know, I’m not really the youngest anymore and I don’t want to be the grandmother on the playground. Forget that part, there’s just not enough space I think for this to happen… I think it’s just too complicated, and the energy — I only have so much right now.”
Julia Lemigova says she isn't "closing the door" on adoption
Although Martina has seemingly abandoned the adoption plans, Julia remains optimistic about a family addition.
“I hope that we will soon expand our family,” she recently told Page Six. “Our adoption plans were on hold, but we’re still not closing the door on those plans.”
Julia made the comments just days after she and Martina spent the holidays with their oldest daughters, Emma and Victoria. The RHOM mom shared a peek at the celebration in a December 25 Instagram, which showed the whole family posing together in their Miami home.
“Wishing you a Merry Christmas filled with joy and warmth, from our family to yours!” she captioned the post.
