F**k cancer, first of all. I remember being a child, watching Martina Navratilova play Chrissy Evert at Wimbledon. I was fascinated by their strength and passion for the game of tennis. Their fierce rivalry turned into a loyal friendship over the years and stands to this day.
I was VERY excited when Martina popped up on Real Housewives of Miami. After marrying Julia Lemigova in 2014 she became a stepmom to Julia’s daughters. When Julia became a member of the RHOM cast in 2021, seeing Martina here and there was a treat for old-timer fans like myself.
Both of Julia’s kids are aging out and getting ready to fly into adulthood. It left Julia feeling the empty nest syndrome, as she still has more love to give. After much thought and conversation, Julia and Martina decided to adopt.
Unfortunately, life has a way of stealing the ability to plan for the future. After an extremely heartbreaking diagnosis of cancer, the adoption plans are on indefinite hiatus as Martina recovers. Page Six reports Julia and Martina will probably not be able to continue the adoption procedure in lieu of her medical battle. In an upcoming interview with Piers Morgan, Martina said, “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 added, “Forget that part, there’s just not enough space I think for this to happen.” In some amazing news, Martina is now cancer-free after it was found she had Stage I breast and throat cancer. That said, welcoming a new child into their home would be a rough ride for Martina at this point.
“We were thinking about adopting but that’s definitely put on hold, and I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Martina explained. She became visibly upset and shared, “I think it’s just too complicated and the energy — I only have so much right now.”
During the RHOM Season 5 reunion, Julia added her thoughts. She told Andy Cohen, “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.”
Back in January, Martina let her fans in on the results no one wants to receive. “This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all I have got.” It, unfortunately, side-lined the adoption process that had come a long way.
No doubt Martina will continue to kick cancer’s ass and get back to rest and recovery. Glad to see she is making the right choices for herself to maintain that warrior status and stay in the game.
TELL US- DO YOU THINK MARTINA AND JULIA MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE? ARE YOU SHOCKED JULIA WANTED TO ADOPT IN THE FIRST PLACE? ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW SEASON OF RHOM?
[Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo]
