Biography.guide
Home › People › Beauty pageant contestant › Yulia Lemigova
Portrait of Yulia Lemigova

Yulia Lemigova

b. 1972

Russian businesswoman

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Yulia Lemigova

Born 1972. Yulia Lemigova is a Russian beauty pageant contestant, model and businessperson.

Yulia Andreevna "Julia" 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. She was a cast member of the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Miami.

Career Julia Lemigova is the daughter of a Red Army 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 at the Miss Universe 1991 pageant, where she placed 2nd runner-up.

Lemigova moved to Western Europe after being crowned Miss USSR, eventually basing herself in Paris, 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 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 (Miss USA 1993, Miss Universe 1993 Top 6 Finalist) from Atlanta (seasons 5–10, 12–16) and Joyce Giraud (Miss Universe Puerto Rico 1998, Miss Universe 1998 2nd-Runner-Up) from Beverly Hills (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, 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 player Martina Navratilova in New York on 15 December 2014.

In August 2024, Lemigova and her wife adopted two boys.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Julia Lemigova

People in Yulia Lemigova's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Yulia Lemigova's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Yulia Lemigova?

Russian businesswoman

When was Yulia Lemigova born?

Yulia Lemigova was born on 20 June 1972 in Moscow.

What is Yulia Lemigova's occupation?

Yulia Lemigova is a beauty pageant contestant, model and businessperson.

What nationality is Yulia Lemigova?

Yulia Lemigova is Russian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Yulia Lemigova

· Wikidata: Q3189052

· DBpedia: Julia Lemigova

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Yulia Lemigova. https://biography.guide/yulia-lemigova/

MLA: "Yulia Lemigova." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/yulia-lemigova/.

Chicago: "Yulia Lemigova." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/yulia-lemigova/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:08 UTC