Teddi Mellencamp opened up about the toll cancer has taken – not just on her body, but on her ability to speak.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, 44, revealed that her treatment for stage 4 cancer has left her struggling with her speech.
“I feel like my words are a little stuttery sometimes, and it doesn’t mean I’m telling a lie,” Mellencamp said in a sneak peek of her appearance on the “Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast, obtained by People.
TEDDI MELLENCAMP WARNS ABOUT CRITICAL MEDICAL OVERSIGHT IN HER CANCER JOURNEY
“Some people have to relearn to talk after having these surgeries that I had. The fact that I can do as much as I can do, I’m so blessed for. But it still happens to me, and some days are very bad.”
The Bravo alum admitted she’s concerned about how she might be perceived if she were to return to television.
“Some days, I’m just stumbling word over word,” she explained. “And I would hate to be on a show like that and have somebody think that I was not being honest and really I was just struggling. And then get the heat for it, because how could you do that to someone that has cancer?”
While the reality television veteran isn’t ruling out future appearances, she explained she’s hitting pause.
TEDDI MELLENCAMP WONDERS IF CANCER WAS HER ‘PAYBACK’ FOR ALLEGED AFFAIR WITH HORSE TRAINER
“I don’t think it would be the best for the cast, and it wouldn’t be the best for me right now.”
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Mellencamp was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer earlier this year after her melanoma metastasized in her brain and lungs. She underwent surgery to remove several masses and has been receiving immunotherapy and radiation.
During her podcast appearance, the “Real Housewives” star also candidly spoke out about what she’s “most fearful” of during her battle with cancer, with the most obvious answer being death.
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But when reflecting on what truly weighs on her, she said, “I’m fearful of feeling alone.”
She continued to call it “an irrational fear,” acknowledging that she has so “many friends and family” around her.
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Her vulnerable admission comes as Mellencamp navigates a divorce from husband Edwin Arroyave.
The estranged couple put a pause to their separation as Mellencamp continues her cancer treatment.
“I always knew he’d do the right thing by me,” Mellencamp said during a previous episode of the podcast. “If he wanted to, he could still be filing and finishing this divorce off right now. But, my dad [singer John Mellencamp] and family just said like, ‘I don’t think this is the right thing for her to be able to try to navigate right now or figure out.’ It was like, ‘Yeah, of course. No, we’ll wait. We’ll wait until she’s better, and then we’ll figure it out.'”
“To this day, I don’t hate Edwin,” she said. “I just want him to be happy, and I want our kids to be happy, and I want us to be able to have a good friendship and relationship, and I don’t want to do anything to hurt him. I kind of know how our marriage works.”
Mellencamp filed for divorce from Arroyave in November 2024 after 13 years of marriage.
The pair share three children – daughters Slate and Dove, and son Cruz.
