Sanya Richards-Ross is making her debut in The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 14, and fans are curious to know everything about the former Olympian. Sanya is the only new main face of RHOA this season, and she’ll be joining vets Kandi Burruss, Drew Sidora, Kenya Moore, Marlo Hampton, and Shereé Whitfield. The RHOA trailer was released recently, and season 14 is already promising to be full of explosive drama. The Real Housewives have had lawyers and doctors on their franchises, but Sanya is the first Olympian athlete to join the cast.
The native Jamaican is a four-time Olympic gold winner in track and field (via BravoTV). Sanya shared how track and field is the most popular sport in Jamaica, and as a child, she dreamed of being an Olympian. Her dreams came true in 2004 when she competed for Team USA and won the gold medal in the 4 x 400m relay. Sanya went on to compete and win the gold in 2008, and again in 2012. Sanya’s life as an athlete was captured in the WE tv reality show, Glam and Gold, which focused on her juggling her family life and her career. The show was short-lived and only aired for one season.
With Sanya’s brief experience in the reality television world, she is sure to bring drama to RHOA. In the RHOA season 14 trailer, she is seen clapping back at one of her costars, demanding she shows her respect as a four-time Olympic gold winner. Sanya even shared some behind-the-scenes from the RHOA cast shoot in an Instagram video, with the caption, "We’re on an exciting new journey and you know I’m taking you every step of the way!!! Check out some #BTS of my very first all cast shoot for @bravoTV #RHOA!!! So much more to come…” To add to her accolades, Sanya wrote a memoir about her life, which is something she has in common with former RHOA star Porsha Williams. The 37-year old is also married to former football player Aaron Ross, and together they share a son Aaron Jermaine Ross II.
Aaron played for the New York Giants as a cornerback and helped his team win the Super Bowl twice. Sanya and Aaron were together for seven years before they got married in 2010. The power couple met while attending the University of Texas in Austin, where Sanya majored in business and was on the women’s track and field team. RHOA fans will be inspired by Sanya, not only winning four gold medals in the Olympics but doing so while battling a mysterious illness, similar to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid, who suffered from Lymes Disease. Sanya was diagnosed at the time with Behcet’s disease, which is a rare sickness that causes sores and lesions in the mouth and body. However, she revealed a few years later that she may have been misdiagnosed, and her new treatments had her feeling better than ever. These days, Sanya is focusing more on motherhood and being a strong supporter of the Black community.
Fans can’t see what she’ll bring to The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 14. Judging by the trailer, Sanya seems like a great addition who isn't afraid to get in the middle of the drama. It's safe to say viewers are excited to meet Sanya when the premiere episode airs on May 1.
Source: BravoTV, Sanya Richards-Ross/Instagram