Teddi Mellencamp Says She’s Fighting to Survive Amid ’50-50′ Cancer Prognosis: ‘I Need to Believe It’

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp opened up about her cancer battle and how it’s been a challenge to remain optimistic while facing an overwhelming diagnosis.

The former Bravo star admitted that she has both good days and bad, shortly after completing her latest immunotherapy treatment which she said brings those raw feelings to the surface.

“There’s a sense of sadness that comes along with not feeling your best,” Mellencamp, 44, shared about her health during a new episode of The Jamie Kern Lima Show, which dropped on Tuesday, July 29. “The dips, the highs and lows, the unknown.”

When asked about her prognosis, Mellencamp said that it’s “probably 50-50.”

“But like, I truly believe this when I say this — and it’s gonna make me emotional — I truly believe that I’m gonna live,” she declared. “I need to believe it.”

Mellencamp — the daughter of famous singer-songwriter John Mellencamp — first spoke out publicly about her struggles in February, five years after appearing on RHOBH.

During that time, she was also going through a breakup. Mellencamp announced her separation from her husband of 13 years, Edwin Arroyave, in November 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences” in the docs obtained by Us Weekly, revealing her and Arroyave’s date of separation was Oct. 20, 2024.

Despite their split, the exes have continued to be a united force throughout her cancer battle, putting their legal drama aside to focus on her well-being. (Arroyave and Mellencamp share three children, daughters Slate, 12, and Dove, 5, and son Cruz, 10, in addition to his daughter Isabella, 16, from a previous relationship.)

The TV personality has been dealing with melanoma on and off since 2022, but discovered that it had progressed to stage 4 in April — and metastasized to her lungs and brain. As part of her treatment plan for the tumors, she was required to undergo radiation and surgery.

“I would be lying if I said I also didn’t have a little bit of anger. Why did this happen to me?” she confessed on the podcast “In my mind, I was so healthy. I was taking care of myself. I play sports.”

During her candid interview, Mellencamp also said that her father, 73, is an unwavering form of support while she deals with the unimaginable. “He has been beyond,” she shared.

“With all of these medical treatments and everything. He has stepped in, he’s helped me have a nurse … he calls me every single day. He makes sure that I’m OK,” the reality star added.

“I was so scared to go home and not be the me that I was when I left home. It was frightening. And so that’s when [my dad] was like, ‘Let’s get you a nurse. Let’s get you set up,’” Mellencamp said, revealing that John has reassured her that she can have an “emotional day” when needed.

Mellencamp revealed that she no longer has a routine and has just been going with the flow as best as she can — noting that her diagnosis was a “big wake-up call” that life can change drastically any minute. “I have to keep fighting. I can do this,” she said.