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It isn’t every day you see a cast member of The Real Housewives of Miami posting a picture of a goat on Instagram. But when RHOM star Julia Lemigova posted an adorable photo of a young goat being bottle-fed on her account, it was no surprise to anyone following her story.  

“So happy to be getting back to my normal routine of being on the farm,” Lemigova wrote in the caption. “There’s something about taking care of these sweet souls that makes mine feel so good.”

Filming a reality TV show is always a bit hectic, especially one as drama-filled as the Real Housewives series. But on top of all of that, Lemigova found out during that time that her life, retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova, had two types of cancer. 

Julia Lemigova and Martina Navratilova were planning to adopt before the diagnosis

In December 2022, Navratilova was diagnosed with both throat cancer and breast cancer. At the time, the spouses were making plans to adopt a child together. Navratilova and Lemigova, who has two daughters from two previous relationships, were “a phone call away” from adopting their own much-wanted child.

 Unfortunately, they received a devastating call and found out that swelling on Navratilova’s neck was cancerous. A few weeks later, a second unrelated tumor was discovered on her breast. The ladies quickly put their adoption plans on hold.

To help alleviate the stress of the news, Lemigova took up boxing.

“I’m literally punching my fears aside, punching the panic out of myself, and getting on with today,” Lemigova said. “I’ve realized since what’s happened to Martina that today is all you have. You never know what tomorrow may bring.” 

Navratilova is doing much better these days

The good news is Navratilova is officially in remission. She was able to undergo a cutting-edge cancer treatment, a Proton Therapy that is only available in certain states and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fortunately, it appears to have been very effective. 

Navratilova’s best friend, Peter Thomas Roth, said he’d “sequestered” her and Lemigova at his New York townhouse for six weeks while she underwent the cutting-edge treatment. After announcing her remission, Navratilova was spotted at Roth’s mother’s 100th birthday party in Miami, where she danced the night away.

After such a scary few months, it’s no wonder Lemigova is relieved to be bottle-feeding goats again.

Julia Lemigova’s spicy season 

Julia Lemigova arrives at The Real Housewives of Miami Season 5 premiere
The Real Housewives of Miami star Julia Lemigova at the Season 5 premiere | Aaron Davidson/Peacock via Getty Images
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It seems that life is never dull for Lemigova. In addition to supporting her wife through her cancer treatments, she just wrapped up filming the latest season of RHOM. Lemigova admitted that she had never watched the show before she joined the cast but that her wife was always very supportive.

Lemigova has repeatedly squashed rumors that Navratilova is jealous of her close friendship with Adriana de Moura, insisting her wife is not a jealous woman.

Now that these spouses have weathered the storms of reality TV drama and beaten two types of cancer, perhaps adoption will be in their future after all.