While often seen as the catalyst that leads to many reality TV splits, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum said the show wasn’t the cause — in fact, Mellencamp says the Bravo series made their marriage stronger.
Teddi Mellencamp is sharing some insight into her split from Edwin Arroyave.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum addressed her separation from Arroyave during Monday’s episode of The Skinny Confidential podcast.
“Me and Edwin have had some of the most amazing years and the most amazing times, and when we met, I mean, it was hot, and it was all the things,” Mellencamp said before addressing her ex’s past indiscretions. “And then, you know, there’d be somebody else. And then I’d be like, ‘It’s okay, I can work through it. I’m going to make him love me more,’ you know, whatever it was.”
She continued, “Then you have kids, and things happen. I would say probably at the point in time Edwin was ready to start working on it and really change, I probably stopped.”
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Mellencamp announced back in November that she was divorcing Arroyave after 13 years of marriage in a message posted to Instagram.
Court documents obtained by TMZ showed that the television personality officially filed for divorce on Nov. 1, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split, and listing their separation date as Oct. 20.
During her podcast appearance, Mellencamp said by the time the pair, who share children Slate, 12, Cruz, 10 and Dove, 4, called it quits, she was already “checked out” of the relationship but never told him.
“I think that’s the problem,” Mellencamp said. Although she noticed her ex “trying to change his life,” Mellencamp said she felt “resentment or animosity or fear of ever being open again.”
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As for reality TV, however, that wasn’t a factor in their split, with Mellencamp revealing that being on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills actually helped their marriage.
“I would say the worst time in our marriage was right after the kids, up until when I booked the show. I’d had all the IVF issues, and then our biggest struggle was right when they had told me that you booked Housewives,” she said.
Mellencamp continued, “I don’t know, I had like so much fear, and I think that’s why if you watch me on Beverly Hills and then if you also listen to Two Ts In a Pod they’re like, ‘You sound like two different people,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, I was a shell of myself, like, trying to portray this perfect life that was really far from perfect.'”
Mellencamp, who was a part of the show from Seasons 8 to 10 as a cast member, and would later make guest appearances, also said the show magnified the parts of herself she wanted to change, especially in terms of how she showed up for her estranged husband.
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Teddi Mellencamp Says She’s ‘Taken Accountability and Apologized’ Amid Divorce and Rumors
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“There would be some really amazing times and I’d be like, all right, this is actually how it’s supposed to be,” she said before touching on her conflicting feelings around their split. “And I mean still to this day, last night I was crying and I’m like, maybe I just figured out. Maybe I figured it out just because I don’t want our kids to grow up in a home where their parents aren’t together.”
While she didn’t address her own rumored infidelity in their marriage, Mellencamp did previously tell her fans and followers that she has taken accountability for her part in the breakdown of her marriage, sharing in an Instagram post last year that she’s “cried and mourned” and “apologized” for anything she has done wrong.
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“The only person who can change your life is you. We have 2 options, pretend to be a victim or stand up and fight for yourself. We all deserve peace and happiness,” Mellencamp said at the time.
“I have cried and mourned. I have taken accountability and apologized for things I have done wrong. Now, I have given myself permission to grow and thrive,” she added.
