Julia Lemigova supported wife Martina Navratilova over her cancer news (Picture: Getty)
Martina Navratilova has been supported by her wife, Julia Lemigova, following her cancer diagnosis.
The tennis legend, 66, revealed that she had been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer, after discovering an enlarged lymph node in her neck in November.
Further tests in December later uncovered her unrelated breast cancer.
Taking to Instagram after the news was announced, Julia – who appears on the Real Housewives of Miami – vowed that they will be fighting it ‘together’.
‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out to share words of support,’ she penned beside a snap of herself and her partner with their dog.
‘Together, we will fight this.’
Fans and famous faces – including many of the model’s Bravo co-stars – were among those offering their support in the comments section below.
Real Housewives of Potomac star Wendy Osefo was one of the first to speak out, penning: ‘Sending you both so much love during this time.’
RHOM’s Adriana de Moura posted: ‘Yes! Together we will win this battle.’
‘We love you both and positive thoughts only,’ Guerdy Abraira agreed.
As Lisa Hochstein and Larsa Pippen commented strings of love heart emoji.
Martina – who previously battled breast cancer in 2010 – first met Julia at a bar in Paris, in 2000, and revealed that there was a mutual attraction between them.
‘I was at a club with some friends, a gay bar in Paris,’ the Wimbledon winner told People Magazine.
‘We’re sitting here, we’re dancing and then we sit down and then there’s this gorgeous woman standing at the bar and she’s like … looking at me.
‘I gave this kind of a Russian look to her,’ Julia interjected. ‘Really, it was more like, “Okay, you are coming to talk to me now.”’
The pair tied the knot in 2014 shortly after getting engaged (Picture: Rex)
The pair reunited at the French Open a few years later and then started dating, before the athlete popped the question at the US Open in 2014.
They wasted no time and tied the knot in December of that year.
News of Martina’s illness was revealed earlier today, and she told the Times that it is ‘serious but still fixable’.
‘I’m hoping for a favourable outcome,’ she said. ‘It’s going to stink for a while but I’ll fight with all I have got.’
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A statement from her representative read: ‘Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with stage one throat cancer. The prognosis is good and Martina will start her treatment this month.
‘The cancer type is HPV and this particular type responds really well to treatment. Martina noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA finals in Fort Worth. When it didn’t go down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as stage one throat cancer.
‘At the same time as Martina was undergoing the tests for the throat, a suspicious form was found in her breast, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer, completely unrelated to the throat cancer.
‘Both these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes. Martina won’t be covering the Australian Open for Tennis Channel from their studio but hopes to be able to join in from time to time by Zoom.’
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Real Housewives alum also offered their love.
