Teddi Mellencamp Links Stage-4 Cancer to Alleged Affair in Candid Interview

Former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast member Teddi Mellencamp on Tuesday publicly addressed long-running reports that she had an affair with her horse trainer, Simon Schroeder, months before separating from her husband, Edwin Arroyave. Speaking on “The Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast, Mellencamp said she had tried to shield her three children and others involved from the fallout but acknowledged that her actions had hurt people. Mellencamp, 44, said she sometimes views her stage-4 melanoma diagnosis as “payback,” adding, “Nothing goes without payment.” She was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2022; the cancer spread to her lungs and brain this year, prompting major surgery and the suspension of immunotherapy. Her divorce proceedings, initiated on Nov. 1 2024, were put on hold in February after the cancer advanced. Court filings show Schroeder’s wife sought a divorce on Dec. 30 2024, shortly after tabloid reports of the alleged affair surfaced. Arroyave, who had his own affair a decade ago, continues to co-parent their children—Slate, 12; Cruz, 10; and Dove, 5—with Mellencamp while the couple waits for her condition to stabilize before resuming their divorce case.