Julia Lemigova, born Yulia Andreevna Lemigova (; born 26 June 1972) is a Russian former model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USSR 1990 and is married to

Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova (, ; ; born October18, 1956) is a Czech-American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, singles for 332 weeks (List of WTA number ...

. She is a cast member of the

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...

reality television series '' The Real Housewives of Miami''.

Career

Julia Lemigova is the daughter of a

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

colonel. Lemigova was first runner-up at Miss USSR in 1990, elevated to be crowned Miss USSR following the disqualification of the original winner, Maria Kezha, for being underage. As Miss USSR 1990, Lemigova represented the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

at the

Miss Universe 1991 Miss Universe 1991, the 40th anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant, was held on May 17, 1991 at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Lupita Jones of Mexico crowned by Mona Grudt of Norway. Sevent ...

pageant, where she placed 2nd runner-up. Lemigova moved to

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

after being crowned Miss USSR, eventually basing herself in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where she opened her first well-being center, ''Joiya spa'', in 2003, and launched a skincare and spa line, ''Russie Blanche'', in 2009. In 2021, Lemigova was announced as a cast member on

season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album ...

of '' The Real Housewives of Miami'', making her the first cast member in the history of the ''Real Housewives'' franchise to be married to a woman; Lemigova's wife is tennis player Martina Navratilova. Lemigova is the third former Miss Universe finalist to join a ''Real Housewives'' franchise after

Kenya Moore Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971) is an American actress, author, entrepreneur, television personality and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1993. Since 2012, she stars on the reality TV series, ''The Real Housewives of Atlant ...

(

Miss USA 1993 Miss USA 1993 was the 42nd Miss USA pageant, televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on February 19, 1993. At the conclusion of the final competition, Kenya Moore of Miss Michigan USA, Michigan was crowned by outg ...

, Miss Universe 1993 Top 6 Finalist) from ''

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

'' (seasons 5-10, 12-16) and Joyce Giraud (Miss Universe Puerto Rico 1998,

Miss Universe 1998 Miss Universe 1998 was the 47th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 12 May 1998 at the Stan Sheriff Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago was crowned by Brook Lee of the United States at the end of the event. Th ...

2nd-Runner-Up) from ''

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

'' (season 4). In December 2023, Lemigova was scheduled to perform at the Wilton Manors Holiday Spectacular before being uninvited by the Wilton Manors Business Association (WMBA) due to her wife Martina Navratilova's views on transgender topics.

Personal life

In 1997, Lemigova became romantically linked to banker

Édouard Stern Édouard Stern (18 October 1954 – 28 February 2005) was a French banker who was infamously murdered in Geneva, Switzerland, by a woman he had a four-year relationship with. At the time of his death, he was the 38th richest French citizen. B ...

, with whom she had a son, Maximilian, who died of shaken baby syndrome while in the care of a new nanny. She has two daughters. Lemigova married her long-term partner former professional

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on 15 December 2014. In August 2024, Lemigova and her wife adopted two boys.

Notes

References

External links

Russieblanche.com
(archived link) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lemigova, Julia 1972 births Russian LGBTQ businesspeople Living people Miss Universe 1991 contestants Russian beauty pageant winners 21st-century Russian businesswomen 21st-century Russian businesspeople 21st-century Russian LGBTQ people Soviet beauty pageant winners Soviet female models LGBTQ beauty pageant winners