Lemigova spends her time between a farm with hundreds of animals and a home in Miami with her family.
What did it feel like joining a reboot that featured some of the original cast?
Did it still feel like a new show, or did it feel more like a callback?
I jumped into it headfirst without any expectations.
It’s fantastic."
I didn’t feel it was a reboot.
Absolutely you add so much energy to the show.
You’re the first housewife in a same-sex marriage.
Did you feel additional pressure when you joined the cast in representing the LGBT community?
I wouldn’t say pressure, no.
On Instagram, people write to me and ask me something personal.
Love has no gender.
That’s why I have absolutely no taboo to show how we live.
It’s the opposite c’mon see!
Have you been able to settle into the role as a groundbreaking housewife?
Do you think Bravo’s going to include more same-sex couples within the franchise?
Could you see that happening?
We are who we are we are open, we are [our]selves.
I have absolutely no restrictions, no guidelines from the web connection.
They’re 100% letting me be me.
They call themselves the “Bravo family.”
I feel a part of the Bravo family now and am so happy to be.
Did you get to take a breather this season, or were there still stressful situations that affected you?
Well, it’s not so much stress, but a lot of drama.
You have not seen anything yet.
Trust me; there will be.
I don’t like drama, but I will always defend myself and my friends.
I’m not a fake person; I’m not going to bark up just any tree.
There has to be a reason for me to get mad.
But once I get mad, I will not step back until we patch up the situation.
That’s a great teaser.
I’m excited for the rest.
That’s where I say what I say.
I am not shy; I just don’t like conflicts.
But when something is wrong, you got to say it.
Sounds like you don’t have any regrets from the season about speaking up for yourself.
I never, ever have regrets about speaking up for myself.
you’re able to only have regrets if you don’t.
You say, “I wish I would’ve reacted; I wish I said something.”
Well, you’re living your best life.
Are you at your farm right now?
Actually, I chose to make my interview day here.
Here is the barn door.
As you see, I have my dog, Zora, my sidekick busy chasing a fly.
At home in Miami, we have our parrots and dog and cats so many inside the house.
There is always background noise.
What’s it been like prioritizing life more outside of the city?
Have you found a balance between those two lives?
It’s my retreat.
It’s a complete getaway sanctuary.
That’s how I would call it a total sanctuary.
Did the issue come up more throughout the season?
Has anything changed since you guys stopped filming?
It’s a work in progress.
Maybe she needs a favorite pet at the farm or something.
She has [one] she loves …
But I would need to come up with something very different for lure her.
I have an excuse: “I’m going to the office.”
Because you sell your eggs at the farmer’s market?
The eggs, I sell fruits …
I planted so many.
Name a tropical fruit tree; I have it here, and I planted it myself.
I brought them all.
They’re my babies, and now they’re here in the ground.
We have 15, 20 varieties of mango.
Florida is so cool the lushness and all these fruits we can have.
That’s a good idea I’ll lure her with mango pudding or something.
you’re able to pick the fruits together.
That’s a lot of different varieties of mango.
I’ve got Indian mangoes, Florida mangoes, all kinds.
I know this farm is bigger than the last one.
How big is this current farm?
There is a cow field [and] goat field.
I’m building things.
This is the other way around.
It’s a way smaller house, but super cute.
But the animals have a blast.
Imagine, at my age, going back to modeling …
But after thinking about it, I realized how much it could even help me to overcome my fears.
If it’s going to help me to overcome my fears, it probably will help somebody else.
It doesn’t have to be necessarily modeling it can be in anything.
It can be doing what you think you’re able to or what you dream of doing.
Thank God, we’re living now more and more in the era of acceptance and diversity.
I am now back in the gym doing sport, doing boxing.
You had shared that being in the closet earlier in your career felt like living a double life.
The modeling world feels completely transformed to you now?
The modeling world was always open.
That was actually where I felt the safest about my sexuality.
Now there are catalogs and there are beauty brands; there [are] so many.
After my conversation with the agency, now I’m doing it full-time.
I’m so happy to see how the industry changed.
[The] world is becoming kinder, and I’m optimistic for that, which is great.
Do you see your daughters getting into modeling?
Have they expressed interest?
They actually were modeling when they were younger, since they were babies.
But I’m happy that they chose studying.
My older daughter, Victoria, who’s 21 now, did modeling when she was 15, 16.
Then she’s like, “Mom, I know how much modeling is …
It’s a full-time, serious job, but you have to be in a certain place.”
She’s studying and she’s going to live in Washington.
She chose her studies over that.
My daughter Emma, who is now in Paris, is thinking about it.
But I’m saying, “You study first.”
School there is also tough, so maybe she won’t have time for it.
The first four episodes of “The Real Housewives of Miami” Season 5 premiereon Peacock on December 8.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
