‘Real Housewives of Miami’ star Julia Lemigova took to Instagram to respond to wife Martina Navratilova’s recent cancer diagnosis.
Former tennis star Navratilova announced on January 2, 2023 that she was diagnosed with stage 1 throat cancer and stage 1 breast cancer.
Lemigova, 50, posted a photo of herself and Navratilova, 66, with their dog on Instagram the same day.
Julia Lemigova assists Martina Navratilova with her cancer diagnosis.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out to share words of support,” Lemigova wrote. “Together we will fight against it.”
Lemigova’s post received over 16,000 likes and over 1,000 comments.
Lemigova later posted a video to her grid of Navratilova celebrating a “fun night out with friends.”
“Even in difficult times, always find moments to relax and have fun,” she advised.
Navratilova reported discovering an enlarged lymph node in her neck in November during the 2022 Women’s Tennis Association Finals in Fort Worth, TX.
A subsequent biopsy revealed that she had throat cancer. Further testing showed that she also has breast cancer recurrence.
She was diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most treatable types of cancer.
Navratilova was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, for which she underwent a lumpectomy.
She said that when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer 13 years ago at the age of 53, she cried briefly and then asked her doctor, “What are we doing? What is the next step?”
Commenting on her current diagnosis, Navratilova has hope.
“This double whammy is serious but still repairable and I’m hoping for a favorable result,” announced Navratilova. “It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.”
Navratilova has a fighting spirit, which is evident not only in her 59 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, but also in the fact that she beat her previous breast cancer.
She reported a good prognosis this time, although she will no longer compete at the Australian Open in 2023.
Lemigova and Navratilova have been together since 2006. The two women got engaged at the US Open in September 2014 and married in December 2014.
The couple received a flood of loving and supportive messages from RHOM castmates on Instagram, including Adriana de Moura, who wrote alongside emoji hearts and prayer hands: “Together we will win this fight.”
“We love you both and only positive thoughts,” Guerdy Abraira wrote.
Navratilova took to Twitter on Jan. 2 after her announcement to thank her supporters.
“I’m not done yet,” she tweeted.
Navratilova is scheduled to start treatment this week, primarily in New York City.
Lemigova’s Instagram post for New Year’s Eve reads that “2022 has been an amazing year full of ups and downs,” alongside photos of her and Navratilova together.
“I can’t wait to see what 2023 has up its sleeve,” she said.
Here’s wishing the Real Housewives couple a year full of hope, strength and better health.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on the YourTango news and entertainment team. It covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things entertainment related.