A Real Housewives first.
The Real Housewives of Miami is finally returning to TV after eight years off the air, and when the new season premieres tomorrow, Dec. 16, on Peacock, fans will be introduced to the first LGBTQ+ Housewife ever cast on a franchise: meet Julia Lemigova.
The stunning former Russian beauty queen and mom is married to famed pro tennis player Martina Navratilova.
E! News chatted exclusively with Julia to find out everything you need to know about her, her fascinating family and what to expect this season from RHOM's first same-sex couple. Read on for our exclusive Q&A with the new RHOM star.
She's Best Friends With One RHOM O.G. Housewife
"My dear friend Adriana [de Moura] introduced me to the group and I'm so glad she did," Julia said of joining the show. "I couldn't believe it at first that I'm actually going to be doing something like that and when it became real it was just this overwhelming, exciting, happy feeling to emerge myself in a completely new adventure and universe."
She's Married to Famed Professional Tennis Star Martina Navratilova
"We met for the really, really first time in 2000. But then our lives kind of drifted apart and we didn't see each other for eight years until Paris," Julia shared, adding that "exactly eight years later we bumped into each other [during a tennis tournament]."
"I already had my two little daughters and I asked Martina ‘would you like to have a breakfast?' eight years later and she said ‘I sure would.' So we have a breakfast and then the next day we had another breakfast and the third day we had another breakfast and we never separated since. We've been together now since 2008."
What Did Martina Think When Julia Joined RHOM?
"‘Are you serious?'" Julia laughed of her wife's response. "And then I think the expression on her face say, ‘OK, OK, if you're game, I'm game.' She's very sweet. She's very supportive of me and that's what makes us a really strong couple. We have a lot of sense of humor and even something unusual like me wanting to be on the show—normally I'm a more private person—she just thought it would make me happy and said, ‘Go for it girl.'"
On What Being the First LGBTQIA+ Person Ever Cast on Housewives Means to Her
"I first want to say it's about time!" Julia said. "I'm so grateful to Peacock and The Real Housewives of Miami for allowing me to show my family life. I want to normalize how we live and show that love has no gender. We are a very loving family with big and unique personalities."
She added, "I cannot wait to show the world that a same-sex marriage is just like any other marriage. We will share our joy, fun and our daily life. I really want to express this to people who don't understand that love has no gender and I'm forever grateful for The Real Housewives of Miami for giving me this opportunity to shine the light on our life."
She & Martina Have a Working Farm in Miami
During season four of RHOM, fans will see Julia keeping "very busy" on her family farm.
"We have lots of chickens, ducks, geese, quail, doves, cats, parrots, tortoises and two, maybe three, pregnant goats, a couple of donkeys on the way and god knows what else," she revealed. "I also grow fruits and vegetables there."
On Drama This Season
Don't expect Julia to be causing tons of drama this season (unlike some of her co-stars).
"Truly I'm friendly with all of the ladies," she shared. "Adriana, she is my longtime friend that I love and adore and during filming I also got close with Nicole [Martin] and Guerdy [Abraira]. But all the ladies are so much fun and have amazing personalities."
The Real Housewives of Miami premieres tomorrow, Dec. 16 on Peacock.
(E! and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family)