‘RHOM’: Julia Lemigova and Martina Navratilova’s Adoption Plans are ‘On Hold’ Following Martina’s Double Cancer Diagnosis

On season 5 of The Real Housewives of Miami, fans got an inside look at Julia Lemigova’s adoption journey with her wife, retired tennis star Martina Navratilova. But in January 2023, Navratilova announced that she’d been diagnosed with stage 1 throat cancer and early stage breast cancer. As a result of the diagnosis, they were forced to put their adoption plans on hold.

Julia Lemigova and Martina Navratilova were considering adopting a child

Julia Lemigova has two children of her own from a previous relationship. They’ve flown the coop, however, leaving Lemigova and Navratilova as empty nesters.

On season 5 of RHOM, Lemigova begins the initial steps to adopt a child, speaking with an adoption agency and figuring out how it would all work. It was certainly a unique situation, as Lemigova is now 50 and Navratilova is 66. But she was determined to make it work, and Navratilova was along for the ride.

Julia and Martina put their adoption plans on hold following Martina’s cancer diagnosis

In January 2023, Navratilova announced that she was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. “This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome,” Navratilova said about the diagnosis, per ESPN. “It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all I have got.”

Lemigova opened up about the diagnosis at the season 5 RHOM reunion, filmed just a few weeks after the new became public.

“When you’re adopting a child, it has to be about the child. And right now it’s everything about Martina and for her getting healthy. We’re putting it on hold,” she told Bravo boss Andy Cohen and her fellow housewives. “We were thinking any moment the agency would call and give us the happy news that we were going to have a baby.”

Martina is cancer-free, but she isn’t planning to adopt

Just two months later, in March 2023, Navratilova delivered the good news that she was cancer-free. “As far as they know I’m cancer-free,” Navratilova told Piers Morgan, according to Reuters. “I still need to do the right breast probably with radiation, but only for a couple of weeks and that’s more preventative than anything else.”

Still, despite Navratilova’s clean bill of health, the couple’s adoption plans are still on hold indefinitely. “I think [adoption] was a nice thought for a while, but I think this 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,” she said.

“Forget that part, there’s just not enough space I think for this to happen,” she added.

Lemigova, who was visibly emotional with her wife during the interview, admitted that it probably wasn’t the right time to be considering adoption seriously. “We were thinking about adopting but that’s definitely put on hold, and I don’t think it’s going to happen,” she said.

“I think it’s just too complicated and the energy,” Navratilova added. “I only have so much right now.”