Tamra Judge refused to give up on her best friend Teddi Mellencamp following the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum’s brain tumor diagnosis. 

“I don’t know if it [was] just me or I was in the group text, but you said to me, ‘You all thought I was mental, but actually, I’m on my deathbed,'” Judge, 57, revealed on the March 13 episode of Two Ts in a Pod podcast, which she co-hosts with Mellencamp, 43. The emotional episode marked Mellencamp’s return as co-host, following a hiatus amid her health struggles. 

Mellencamp initially shared news of her diagnosis on Instagram on Feb. 12. Explaining how she sought medical treatment following weeks of “severe and debilitating headaches,” the RHOBH alum revealed that, “After a CT scan and MRI, doctors found multiple tumors on my brain, which they believe have been growing for at least 6 months.”

Following the diagnosis, Mellencamp sent the “deathbed” text to Judge, who recounted her emotional response on Two Ts in a Pod. 

“I remember texting you back and said, ‘No, you’re not, because if you’re on yours, then I’m on mine, because I can’t live without you,'” Judge said. 

On March 6, the reality star shared a new health update on Instagram. Revealing that doctors had found more tumors in her brain and an additional two in her lungs following surgery, Mellencamp wrote, “These are all metastases of my melanoma. The doctors are hopeful that immunotherapy will effectively treat them.”

Staying optimistic, the All In By Teddi founder added, “I am feeling positive — that I will win this battle, that I got this wig (I like the short hair, just not the bald spots), and that I can remember all of Angelina’s kids’ names. Now, as @bravoandy would say: with all due… f*** off, cancer!”

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Judge, who stars on The Real Housewives of Orange County, shared a photo of her reunion with Mellencamp on X on March 12, writing in the caption, “Back with my Teddi Jo, and suddenly, everything makes sense again.”

The day before the emotional reunion episode, Judge discussed how she was handling Mellencamp’s health news on the podcast with Dolores Catania from The Real Housewives of New Jersey and the most recent season of The Traitors, who was temporarily co-hosting in Mellencamp’s place.

“Teddi gave me a pep talk and that is like the first time I’ve laughed in so long. Like, we laughed, and she just yelled at me and said, ‘Listen to me, I have to be bald and fat right now and going through this. You get your ass back over there,’” Judge recalled. “I just started laughing. So I think I’m going to see her today. I think that’s gonna pull little bit of spark back into me.”