‘RHOM’s Julia Lemigova Doesn’t Think Guerdy Abraira Can Justify Exposing Their Text Messages: “It Just Speaks To Her Character”

Julia Lemigova joined The Real Housewives of Miami when the show was first rebooted on Peacock for Season 4 in 2021. Immediately loved by fans for her goofy personality, close friendship with Adriana de Moura, and marriage to former pro tennis player Martina Navratilova (making her the first openly gay Real Housewives star), it’s no doubt that Lemigova had a strong start to her Bravo tenure. However, Season 7 has shown fans a different side of the Russian beauty queen, whose feud with Guerdy Abraira has sparked quite a bit of controversy.

Lemigova became upset with Abraira when she was unable to connect to the Zoom call to find out that she and Navratilova were adopting two boys. Lemigova suggested that she find out the news from the media outlets, and became offended when Abraira subsequently sent a dry “congrats” message. However, tensions truly reached their boiling point at Marysol Patton‘s wedding celebration when Lemigova brought up a cruise that she and Abraira had gone on nearly a year earlier. Lemigova accused Abraira of offering to take Navratilova’s spot on the trip after she had to back out for health reasons, and proceeded to make the entire trip about herself. As Abraira was trying to tell the women her side of the story—which was that Lemigova had actually been the one to invite her on the cruise—Lemigova doused the party planner with her water.

Lemigova eventually apologized, and while the two women agreed to put the past behind them, the former model seemingly broke that promise by bringing up their feud at Alexia Nepola‘s “narcissist” party. To retaliate, Abraira exposed her text messages with Lemigova on a screen at her Celebration of Life event, which was meant to honor her cancer journey. While some of the women were deeply offended by her action, Abraira refused to apologize, and explained why she felt the need to vindicate herself on such a public platform.

“I don’t think there is any justification for it. There is only an apology could be made to the people who came to support her,” Lemigova told Decider. “It just speaks of her character and who she is. Who am I to judge people? It’s not up to me to say when people have to apologize. An apology has to be genuine. And if she feels like this one day, I think it will go a long way.”

Check out our full interview with Lemigova below.

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DECIDER: I want to congratulate you on your boys! How are they doing?

JULIA LEMIGOVA: They’re doing great. In a couple of days, it’s going to be Jackson’s fourth birthday, and it’ll be the first time we celebrate it together as a family. 

I loved to see their little faces on the show. How are they adjusting to the cameras?

They are loving it, especially Jackson. He flips his long eyelashes and he tells me, “Mommy, where are my friends?” What friends? “The friends with cameras – when are they coming back?” He’s such a natural. 

Next Gen Miami in about 20 years! Shortly after Season 7 started, you posted a disclaimer about what viewers were going to see from you. Why was it important to post that at that point rather than wait until the reunion to address everything?

I think telling the truth and giving some clarity to some things was important to me. An apology was needed. That’s how I felt. It was a spur of the moment, it came from the heart. It was something not planned. Not calculated. I just needed the respond for people hopefully to understand another side of the story.

Dr. Nicole Martin makes an appearance in this week’s episode and I want to talk about something that she said. She felt like you were the new girl in school who kind of ditched her friends once she got in with the cool people. What’s your response to that? Do you agree with her that there’s been a “big shift” in your personality?

I haven’t spoken to her since. I haven’t spoken to Nicole in a while. We were very good friends. Right now, I respect her privacy. I know she’s very close to Guerdy. I always liked Nicole. I supported her. But she chose to have to focus on different things in her life, and I can respect that. If she feels that I ditched Guerdy, I’m very sad and disappointed about that. That’s not exactly how I feel. But we haven’t had a chance to address it. 

When we had Guerdy in last week, she said the cruise happened before the Season 6 reunion. Why did you decide to bring it up now instead of at the reunion?

Well, there’s a growing process and I don’t understand why the timeline is so important for Guerdy. We did not become enemies with Guerdy at the cruise. It just started to create a certain distance. [There were] certain things I observed and saw about her that just made me take a step back to reflect, to think, not to fight. But just like, “OK, we’ll talk maybe another time.” It was like that.

It was a buildup of things.

Yes, yes. It wasn’t a particular beef or drama. But it’s escalated to the extent that I wish it wouldn’t be.

You and Guerdy seemed to bury the hatchet, but then she put your texts on blast at her Celebration of Life party. In last week’s episode, Guerdy justified her actions.

I don’t think there is any justification for it. There is only an apology could be made to the people who came to support her. 

Guerdy also said she wouldn’t apologize. What did you think of that?

It just speaks of her character and who she is. Who am I to judge people? It’s not up to me to say when people have to apologize. An apology has to be genuine. And if she feels like this one day, I think it will go a long way. 

In Adriana’s confessional, she seemed to think that Guerdy’s infraction was less severe than yours. She also said something along the lines of, “God forbid Julia gets called out for once.” What was your reaction to hearing that?

Called out on what? They seem to know more about my life than I actually know. It’s interesting to watch for me. I don’t think I know what they’re referring to. 

It seems like Adriana has some hard feelings about your friendships with Alexia and Marysol – and we really see that when she comes to meet your boys for the first time. Did that surprise you? How did you handle that?

Since I became friends with this group, I always had a secret little dream that one day I could help rebuild the friendship of Marysol, Alexia and Adriana. That was fractured. Little that I know that it was fractured maybe so many times on so many different levels that it’s going to be a really hard job for me. I don’t have the muscles for that. But I still kept hoping that [it would happen]. I mean, you never know. You will see this season how things unroll – that I tried and how I tried and some of the successes and some of the failures. But I did my best.

It seems like there was a lot of buildup to your fallout with Adriana on both ends. What would you say was the main catalyst for you? 

I’m still trying to find out because I’m trying to put this puzzle together. Why? I promise you, you will see it. It unveils the whole thing until the final episode – and then, of course, the reunion. I will find out live, probably at the same time you guys will. But I don’t know. I can tell you that it’s not what it seems. Right now, she’s saying it’s because I left her for the popular girls. No, I tried for all of us to be friends.

I’m not sure if you saw but Adriana was in the comments section after your appearance on Watch What Happens Live, saying your apology wasn’t sincere and that you sounded rehearsed and memorized. What’s your response to that?

This is so silly. I speak from the heart. I don’t know what she memorizes or not, how she prepares. Maybe she prepares. That’s why she projected and thinks that I’m preparing. I speak and that comes out as it comes out … I’m the worst liar. I cannot lie. I don’t prepare my answers. You know why? Of course, I think of them, but I don’t prepare because nothing is going to come out the way you plan. And I’m going to forget them anyway. I’m also dyslexic. I’m probably going to say so many wrong things. So I just got to feel the room. I look at the eyes of the person who is interviewing me, and I feel the energy and I just answer the best I can. That’s it. So, how is that prepared? She’s just being catty and petty, and I’m not gonna even reply to this. Why would I reply to this? That’s how she feels. She’s entitled to her opinion. 

Shifting gears a little bit, a little lighter talk, I love to see Stephanie on the show. She told us that she and her husband go on a double date with you and Martina at some point during the season. I think it’s teased in next week’s episode. What can you tell us about that?

Oh my God, that was so fun. We totally forgot cameras were there. By the way, Stephanie told me that [Masoud is] a huge fan of Martina and if she ever would allow a date with somebody it would be Masoud and Martina. They can have each other’s number. We laughed. It was so spontaneous. Masoud and Martina acted like they knew each other forever. It was super cool.

That’s so much fun. I love that. I also loved to see that you kept up with your opera lessons. That’s so cool. Do you have a favorite song to sing or anything exciting to share about that hobby?

It’s a hobby and it’s a love. I actually applied and I’m waiting for the answer, I don’t know if I’m accepted or not, to be a full-time student in FIU to study opera, study voice, but just classical music, just the opera, because it’s my therapy, it’s my love, it’s my passion. I love the animals and I’ve always loved opera. I take lessons every week not to become an opera singer, but it’s my sort of yoga. It’s my meditation. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Real Housewives of Miami airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.