Teddi Mellencamp has broken her silence about her alleged relationship with horse trainer Simon Schroeder, emotionally reflecting on the personal toll and the speculation that followed.
In the second part of The Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast, released on Tuesday, August 5, the 44-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star addressed the long-rumored romance and the heartbreak surrounding it.
“I’ve never talked about it because of the kids, and I never wanted anybody to know whether it happened or not,” Mellencamp said. “But what I can say is — did I do something that hurt other people? Yes. Does it still pain my heart, and do I wonder if that’s why I developed cancer? Yes. Like it was my payback.”
Mellencamp is currently battling stage 4 melanoma, which has spread to her brain and lungs. Through tears, she continued:
“Nothing goes without payment. However long it lasted, it was all over the news. You’re trying to stop the pain for others, but you end up maximizing it — not just for yourself, but your partner, your kids, the other person’s partner, their kids.”
Background on the Alleged Affair
Reports first surfaced in November 2024 linking Mellencamp to Schroeder amid her divorce from husband Edwin Arroyave. At the time, Schroeder was still married to his now-estranged wife, Karli Schroeder. Karli filed for divorce on December 30, citing irreconcilable differences and requesting spousal support and attorney fees.
Court documents reveal Simon and Karli had previously divorced in February 2024 but remarried on April 14 before separating again in September.
Neither Simon Schroeder nor Mellencamp publicly confirmed the affair at the time, and Schroeder declined to comment when contacted by PEOPLE in January 2025.
Mellencamp filed for divorce from Arroyave — her husband of 13 years — on November 1, 2024. However, the proceedings were put on hold after her cancer diagnosis in February 2025.
Despite the personal upheaval, Mellencamp and Arroyave have remained close. He has stood by her side during treatments and supported her emotionally. On the podcast, she confirmed that they continue to live under the same roof and maintain a peaceful co-parenting relationship.
“I always knew he’d do the right thing by me,” Mellencamp shared. “He could have finalized the divorce at any time, but my dad [singer John Mellencamp] and my family said, ‘This is not something she can handle right now.’ And Edwin agreed. He said, ‘We’ll wait.’”
Though she referred to Arroyave as her “ex-husband” at one point in the episode, she admitted, “I don’t know what you call somebody you were married to, then filed for divorce, then got cancer, and everything went on hold.”
“To this day, I don’t hate Edwin,” she said. “We don’t argue. I just want him to be happy, I want our kids to be happy, and I want us to have a strong friendship and connection. I don’t want to hurt him. I kind of know how our marriage works.”
Coping With Illness and Regret
Reflecting on the alleged affair, Mellencamp said she was in a dark place emotionally and physically at the time, struggling with unexplained “severe and debilitating headaches” — which were later linked to her undiagnosed brain tumor.
“I think I was so broken as a human during that part of my life,” she admitted. “I did things that weren’t in line with my better judgment. I felt so sick, but I didn’t go to the doctor. I just knew something was wrong.”
She made clear, however, that she wasn’t using her illness as an excuse.
“The wreckage doesn’t happen on its own,” she said solemnly. “So many people are hurt in it — but I take responsibility for my role.”