Martina Navratilova is cancer-free now! The Czech–American tennis player who was diagnosed with cancer for the second time earlier this year, recently shared the piece of amazing news with her fans all over the world.
Navratilova, the winner of nine Wimbledon singles titles confirmed the amazing news while having a conversation with Piers Morgan on his TalkTV show. Read on to learn what Martina Navratilova has to say about her journey.
Martina Navratilova reveals she’s cancer-free
During a new interview with Piers Morgan on his TalkTV show, to be broadcast on Tuesday, the former global tennis champ confirmed the great news. She said, “As far as they know, I’m cancer-free.” She also mentioned that she still has to undergo some preventive radiation treatment but the doctors have told her that she’s cancer-free at the moment.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion was first diagnosed with breast cancer in the year 2010. At that time, she said, “It knocked me on my ass, really. I feel so in control of my life and my body, and then this comes, and it’s completely out of my hands.”
Martina was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer at the end of 2022. After learning about her diagnosis, she was in total panic. She pondered if she would be able to last till next Christmas.
The Tennis player said, “I was in a total panic for three days thinking I may not see next Christmas. The bucket list came into my mind of all the things I wanted to do. And this may sound really shallow, but I was like, okay, ‘Which kick-a** car do I really want to drive if I live like a year?’”
Martina also spoke about a few moments from her radiation sessions. At an emotional time, she requested Elton John’s music be played during treatment. She recalled, “He starts singing ‘I’m Still Standing,’ which he dedicated to me at a concert in Paris during the French Open in the ’80s.”
Navratilova continued, “I’m in this mask not able to move, and that song came on and I’m like, ‘Oh great, so I can’t really cry because I can’t swallow.'”
Martina’s friend Chris Evert supported her during her journey
The American icon talked about her tennis rival and close friend Chris Evert, another cancer survivor herself. She shed some light on how Chris supported and helped her during this journey. She called her a ‘star’ for having her back during this time.
Martina further added, “Our careers are always intertwined and then we follow each other this way. You can’t just make it up. The parallels are unbelievable. Same place. Some of the same nurses. Chris has been just a star. She has supported me so much through this as I supported her a year ago. We were always there for each other no matter what.”
The last few months have been tough for Martina Navratilova and her wife Julia Lemigova
The 66-year-old who is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time stated that it has been an emotional roller-coaster for her and her wife Julia Lemigova. She also mentioned that being a tennis player helped her to tackle the ups and downs she had to endure the last few months.
Navratilova went on to say, “So, phew, big, big relief, but emotionally I’ve been up and down because of what the doctor initially told me. I’m like, okay, so what do we do now? You get into tennis mode, that’s where having been a champion athlete comes in pretty handy.”
Earlier this month, Martina’s wife Real Housewives of Miami star Julia Lemigova, had a chat with People magazine about the cancer diagnoses of the tennis champion. She said, “After your wife is diagnosed with two cancers, it really changes your perspective. We all have to be strong for her. There is no time for sitting around and crying.”
At that time, Lemigova told the publication, “I’m a strong believer that when life hits you with a tragedy, no matter how big the tragedy is, you have basically two choices. You submit, or you push back and rebel. And all my life I was, I’m a rebel in a way, and I always push back.”
The reality TV star continued, “So this is just one of those huge tragedies that hit our family. And there is no time or space to sit and cry because that will not help. That will only make things worse.”
Martina and Julia tied the knot in the year 2014. The pair became the first same-sex couple ever to appear as full-time cast members on the Real Housewives franchise since its release in 2006.
What was Martina Navratilova’s reaction to finding out she had not one but two cancers at the same time?
At that time, Martina said, “I find out it’s throat cancer, I think I could be dying, but then I find out, no, it’s very treatable. Then when I had the biopsy on the right breast the doctor was saying, ‘This doesn’t look great’. That’s when I started crying on the table as she’s still poking and getting samples out of my boob.”
The tennis legend further added, “And I’m like, ‘Oh great, now I have two cancers at the same time that are not related. Who else has two cancers at the same time?’”
Navratilova even confessed that she and her wife Julia had to drop their adoption plans post her cancer diagnosis. She went on to say that the pair had no other choice as it would be too complicated to go through during this already stressful period.
Martina said, “We were thinking about adopting but that’s definitely put on hold, and I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think it’s just too complicated and I only have so much energy right now.”
We are glad to know that Martina Navratilova is cancer-free now. Sending lots of love, light, and strength to the global tennis champion. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of showbiz.
