After a season of explosive moments on The Real Housewives of Miami — including a now-infamous water-throwing incident, Julia Lemigova is coming clean about the emotional toll reality TV has taken on her.
In an interview with PEOPLE, the former model and wife of tennis legend Martina Navratilova admits that what viewers saw on screen was more than just drama: it was the breaking point of years of buried trauma.
“It was a cry for help that played out on camera,” she confessed, opening up about her struggle with PTSD, unresolved grief, and the guilt she’s carried for decades.
Now, after the RHOM Season 7 reunion forced her to face herself in a way she hadn’t before, Lemigova says she’s ready to stop running, and start healing.
Lemigova said watching the reunion back wasn’t easy — but it pushed her to reflect. “It was very emotional,” she said. “Reliving those moments is really hard, but it also made me think and self-reflect.”
She added that reality TV, for all its chaos, actually helped her recognize what needed to change. “The beauty, as hard as reality television can be, is that it can be a pathway for personal growth and self-reflection. And if you are honest with yourself and with your audience, it can actually be — believe me or not — quite a healing experience.”
And this season, healing meant facing parts of herself she’d long tried to avoid. “It helped me to grow as a woman, as a mother, as a wife,” Lemigova said, visibly emotional. “I’m still unpacking a lot. I carry a lot of guilt about it, and a lot of pain. Because it can be really hard to look at yourself in the mirror and not like the person you see. But doing that has really helped me see that I need help.”
“There is no excuse for throwing things or screaming,” she said. “I take full responsibility and accountability for my behavior, and I’m sorry, again, to Guerdy.”
She added: “There’s no one to blame for this but me. What I’ve done, it didn’t come out of nowhere — I see now that it came from years of trauma I’ve never fully faced. It bubbled up. I felt cornered emotionally, I snapped. And that’s not okay.”
Lemigova is now speaking openly about the pain she’s kept hidden — including the devastating loss of her 5-month-old son, Maximilien Stern, who died in 2000 from shaken baby syndrome while in the care of a nanny hired by her ex, banker Edouard Stern.
“Sometimes when bad things happen to you, whether in childhood or later in life, it paralyzes you and you just want to run away,” Lemigova said. “I’ve been the queen of sweeping things under the rug. I’d always tell myself, ‘I’ll deal with it tomorrow.’ But I see now, that comes back to bite you in the end. And I need to work on myself. I want to do better — not just for me, but for my family.”
Getting Help and Finding Support
For the first time, Lemigova is actively seeking treatment to deal with her unresolved trauma. “I’m seeking treatment for my PTSD, because I need to finally deal with things I’ve buried for years,” she said. “This is deep work, and I can’t do it alone.”
“I may be a strong woman, but I’m not Wonder Woman,” she added. “I’m human.”
She’s not facing it alone. Her wife, Martina Navratilova — with whom she adopted two sons last year — has been by her side through the highs and lows. “Martina showed me a lot of grace when navigating this privately,” she said. “She’s met my honesty and vulnerability with a lot of love. I’m so grateful to her.”
Lemigova also has two adult daughters from previous relationships.
“English isn’t my first language — I speak five, and sometimes my words don’t come across clearly,” she explained. “So I understand why a lot of people are confused by what I say and how I act. But I’m trying my best. And I’m doing the work to get better.”
And in the end, that work is what she hopes will define her — not her mistakes.
“What defines us isn’t our mistakes, it’s how we learn from them and move forward,” Lemigova said. “And that’s the journey I’m on.”
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