Teddi Mellencamp on Being ‘Open & Vulnerable’ with Her Children Amid Cancer Battle (Exclusive)

“Extra” spoke to Kyle Richards and Teddi Mellencamp at the Women’s Cancer Research Fund’s “An Unforgettable Evening” fundraiser.

Kyle said of Teddi’s resilience amid her stage 4 cancer battle, “I am just so incredibly proud of her. I’m so in awe of her strength. She's very fortunate that she's so loved. She has an incredible amount of love around her with family and friends, and she really is just giving women a lot of hope."

She continued, "When she's had her down days, you know, I said, ‘You are inspiring people and, you know, when you come out on the other side of this, and I do believe you will, you have no idea how many people you are helping to give hope and also to remind people to go get checked’… Obviously, this hit really hard, you know, having someone that you love go through something like this, so just a reminder to all of us that life is precious and we just have to always be there for each other and lean on each other.”

Kyle is also raising awareness about breast cancer after losing her mom to the disease.

“You know, doing the ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,’ I would always show going to get a mammogram, like I did last season with my sister Kathy [Hilton],” she said. “Anytime you can get the message out there. I have so many people who message me saying, ‘Because of you, I went and got a mammogram.’ Teddi’s inundated with messages about getting checked for their moles, so, you know, using your platform in a positive way.”

Teddi joined the interview, rocking a shaved head, and recalled getting the exciting news that her tumors have shrunk. 

Mellencamp said, “I had Kyle on FaceTime, I had two friends with me inside of the doctor's office, and he came in all happy and I'm like, ‘If this isn't great news, you should be turning around and do a re-entrance, because I'm a little bit confused on how happy you are.’ And the time before, I had such bad news that I wasn't expecting it, and he was like, ‘No, this is incredible news.’ And then he told us what's going on. I mean, all of us were crying, were laughing, it felt really amazing, but also, a reminder how many people need this event because it's not working for them.“

When it comes to keeping her kids informed, she said, “I've been very open and vulnerable with them, you know, on the days that I don't feel good and the days that I do, because I don't ever want them to think that I'm not 100 percent being there the way I used to be."

Teddi added, "So, because I've done that, they've been my caretakers and, like, my son every night will be like, ‘Do you want your elixir?’ And really, my elixir is half of Pedialyte and half sparkling water, and it's like we're trying to get the perfect combination, and every night he's like, ‘Blue raspberry or…?’ So, it's been really great to have them be helpers, and I'm so happy that I've been able to encourage them to share when they need help and when it's okay to be sad or happy.”

Kyle talked about the most recent season of "RHOBH," saying, “I feel horrible, but that's okay, that's okay — that feels like nothing now, compared to what's been going on these last couple months. It was a difficult season for sure, but things like this really put things into perspective — that's for sure. But talking about laughing, I will say we have so many funny videos of Teddi in the hospital that she doesn’t remember.”

Teddi joked, “No, I got a tumor on purpose so I didn't have to recap this season of ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’”

Kyle also weighed in on the recent news that castmate Dorit Kemsley has filed for divorce from estranged husband PK.