The life story of Simone Biles is one of inspiration, dedication, and hard work. The gymnast had to face major struggles in many phases of her life, like overcoming poverty, food deficit, and a broken home. Her adoptive parents, who are also her grandparents, provided Simone and her sister, Adria, with a functional home that brought stability to their lives. Simone has often admitted that she owes everything she has achieved in her life to her parents, as they provided her with the support she needed to become the GOAT.

But, having moved around a lot in their early years, Simone and her sister developed some issues within themselves. And as they moved in with their grandparents, their biggest challenge was overcoming a deep-rooted issue.

Simone Biles had trust issues as she moved in with her grandparents

For a 6-year-old, Simone Biles had already seen and been through too much. Having never been a part of a properly functioning ‘home,’ Simone and her sister became each other’s support system. When the children were taken away from their biological mother, the only place left for them was foster care. But soon, Ronald and Nellie Biles came to know of the situation and immediately adopted their granddaughters, while Ronald’s sister adopted her other two siblings (Tevin & Ashley).

Simone was three when she entered the foster system and six when her grandparents adopted her. Discussing the struggles she faced while moving in, Biles said she had developed trust issues. Simone said, “They taught me how to trust people, how to trust situations. Because I think that was one of the biggest fears we had growing, and when we moved with them, we had trust issues.”

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Simone added, “Because we had been moved so many times and everything, they taught me how to be confident, how to do whatever I wanted and go for it 100%. So they taught me a lot, and I think that’s why I am the young woman I am today.” Interestingly, Ronald Biles gave Simone her name as he was a huge fan of singer Nina Simone.

Simone and Nellie’s fun-filled relationship

Adopting someone and being adopted by someone- both aspects can be extremely tricky. For a parent, taking care of and sharing a bond with someone else’s child is difficult. For a child, to look at someone who isn’t their biological parent and call them their mom/dad is one of the hardest things. But, for Simone and Nellie Biles, things were a little easier as they already shared a blood relationship.

Nellie’s growth in confidence in her daughter is the perfect example of the bond they share. After Simone’s gymnastics career started, Nellie did not think her daughter could become a world-class gymnast. Nellie said she was never impressed with Simone’s gymnastic skills. Another such instance was when Simone competed at her first World Championships. No one (including Nellie and Simone) believed she could win the competition in her first attempt. Nellie was so confident that she had a bet with Simone. The terms of the bet said if Simone would win the gold, she could get her belly button pierced.

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Simone won the gold in the championship and had her mother’s permission to get her belly button pierced. To think, perhaps one of Simone’s biggest inspirations behind her first World Championship gold was a potential belly-button piercing!