The former reality star was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in 2022. Last year, she announced the cancer had metastasized to her brain and lungs.

Teddi Mellencamp reveals she’s dating an older man who’s been ‘pretty good’ amid ongoing cancer battle

The former reality star was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in 2022. Last year, she announced the cancer had metastasized to her brain and lungs.

By Kathleen Perricone

April 10, 2026 4:42 p.m. ET

Teddi Mellencamp in March 2026. Credit:

Scott Kirkland/FOX

Teddi Mellencamp has found a bright spot amid her ongoing battle with cancer: a new man.

The 44-year-old *Real Housewives of Beverly Hills** *alum revealed on her podcast, *Two Ts in a Pod*, that she's been on 10 dates with an older man. Although his identity remains a mystery — "we're going to call him Derek," she teased — she did reveal some details about their relationship.

Like Mellencamp, "Derek" has children. However, they're much older than the three she shares with ex-husband Edwin Arroyave: daughters Slate, 12, and Dove, 6, and son Cruz, 11.

"That's the thing when you're dating and you're both parents," Mellencamp explained to her podcast cohost, Tamra Judge of *The Real Housewives of Orange County*. "Like, how are you ever supposed to get past first base? I have kids in my house. He has kids in his house."

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The obstacle has actually had a positive effect on the new romance — because it's forcing them to take things slow.

"Normally that hasn't been my past," admitted Mellencamp, who dated TV producer Ricci Rea after filing for divorce from Arroyave in 2024 after 13 years of marriage.

The thing she likes most about "Derek," says Mellencamp, "is he makes me laugh." And that's exactly what she needs right now amid her years-long battle with cancer.

Teddi Mellencamp and ex-husband Edwin Arroyave.

Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

In 2022, the mother-of-three was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and underwent 17 surgeries over two years as it was upgraded to stage 4. In March 2025, Mellencamp announced it had metastasized. "I have 3 more tumors in my brain and 2 tumors on my lungs," she revealed in an Instagram caption. "These are all a direct result of my melanoma."

One year on, she's "doing well" — and "Derek" has been a welcome support.

"He's pretty good about it," Mellencamp said on her podcast. "He's a relatively positive and logical person in general."

Teddi and John Mellencamp onstage at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Monica Schipper/Getty

Last month, Mellencamp presented her father, "Jack & Diane" rocker John Mellencamp, with the Icon Award at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. She was visibly emotional, wiping away tears as she recalled her father's constant support during her health struggles.

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In his acceptance speech, John insisted it was the cancer survivor who truly deserved the award: "I'm giving this to Teddi," he told his daughter. "So that’s yours."

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Source: “EW Celebrity”