Teddi Mellencamp filed for divorce from husband Edwin Arroyave last month, but the two are just fine being around each other.
Mellencamp, 43, debuted her new podcast “Diamonds in the Rough” alongside former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar Erika Girardi on Thursday, December 5, and in the first episode, she opened up about the dynamic between her and her estranged husband.
“[We] can both be there, like, for sporting events [with our kids],” she explained. “It’s not that we can’t. We’re completely happy to be around one another.”
Despite the eventual end of their marriage, Mellencamp maintains that having kids with Arroyave is “one of the best things” that she’s ever done.
The pair share three children, daughters Slate, 12 and Dove, 4, and son Cruz, 10. Mellencamp revealed that the kids know about their parents’ split. She has said since the process started that their well-being remains her priority.
“After a great deal of care and consideration, I have made the difficult decision to file for divorce,” Mellencamp wrote in a statement on November 2. “My priority is my children and ensuring that every care is taken with their privacy and wellbeing throughout this new chapter.”
“Making a public statement is not something I wanted to do,” she continued. “But in an effort to protect my family from undue speculation and rumors, I have felt being open, honest, and vulnerable is the best path forward.”
Later that month, Us Weekly reported that Mellencamp allegedly had an affair with her horse trainer, Simon Schroeder, prior to the separation. The affair was several months ago and “it’s not still happening,” a source told Us, adding that both Mellencamp and Arroyave were unfaithful during their marriage.
Mellencamp and Arroyave are currently alternating who sleeps in the house with the kids — a practice called nesting. When it is Arroyave’s turn, Mellencamp says she stays with friend and fellow RHOBH star Kyle Richards.
“Some places you can just file for divorce … in California, there’s a six-month cooling-off period,” she said. “During that six months, you can do a multitude of things. The way I learned about nesting was one of my good girlfriends, she’s a divorce coach. She told me about nesting. It’s where the kids stay [in the marital home] and the parents come and go.”
Mellencamp added that the practice has worked well so far for her kids.
“It does work out well for the kids — we’re right around the corner and everything’s on a calendar,” she said. “They know exactly when I come and go and vice versa.”