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Teddi Mellencamp is documenting her first Christmas without her estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave, and their kids.
The former reality star, 43, took to Instagram on Tuesday, December 24, to offer a glimpse at how she was spending the holidays solo in pal Kyle Richards‘ home.
“In my Bridget Jones era. If I didn’t laugh at myself, I would cry,” Mellencamp wrote alongside several videos of her in her pajamas singing “All By Myself,” channeling a scene from Renée Zellweger’s movie Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Mellencamp, who shares kids Slate, 12, Cruz, 10 and Dove, 4, with Arroyave, 47, opened up about adjusting to her new normal, adding, “First Christmas without my kids, and I know they’re in great hands with an amazing dad, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel some type of way.”
She concluded: “Ordered $74 of Thai food, eating cookie dough (who has time to bake) and watched 9 episodes of Lioness. To all my parents out there going through this, I love you. What are all the tips for powering through?”
Mellencamp received messages of support from fellow Housewives. Richards, 55, who is in Aspen with Mauricio Umansky amid their own separation, wrote, “Watching you do this in my bedroom is making me LOL Love you xx.”
Caroline Stansbury, who got divorced in 2019 from Cem Habib, replied, “It gets easier and now i am sitting with my kids and my ex husband having an amazing christmas again.”
Jana Kramer, who has been outspoken about her ups and downs with ex Mike Caussin, shared some advice as well.
“Sending love. The first one was brutal and I wish I could say it gets easier,” she wrote. “But even a new husband and a baby and it’s still not normal to not have all your babies under one roof on Christmas. Sending love. You got this momma.”
Mellencamp announced her split from Arroyave in November after 13 years of marriage.
“After a great deal of care and consideration, I have made the difficult decision to file for divorce,” Mellencamp wrote via Instagram at the time. “My priority is my children and ensuring that every care is taken with their privacy and wellbeing throughout this new chapter.”
Mellencamp admitted she didn’t want to publicly address the breakup, adding, “Making a public statement is not something I wanted to do, but in an effort to protect my family from undue speculation and rumors, I felt being open, honest and vulnerable was the best path forward.”
After the statement, Mellencamp filed for divorce, listing October 20 as their separation date and citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. Us Weekly subsequently confirmed that Mellencamp was involved in a romance with horse trainer Simon Schroeder months before she separated from Arroyave.
A source subsequently claimed to Us that Mellencamp and Arroyave tried to make their marriage work before ultimately calling it quits.
“Simon and Teddi had a thing several months ago but it’s not still happening,” a source exclusively told Us before alleging that Arroyave was also unfaithful during his marriage. “Teddi and Edwin had been working on the problems of their marriage, despite his past indiscretions.”
The insider added: “Teddi isn’t excusing her behavior but this was the first and only time she strayed outside of the marriage and says there’s two sides to the story. They are both to blame.”
