While athletes may find success at various stages in their lives, they also fall upon some struggles. After all, success doesn’t arrive before obstacles. However, champions always work their way up, thus acting as beacons of inspiration. One of the classic examples of such an athlete is superstar gymnast Simone Biles.

In her book, ‘Courage to Soar’, the gymnast wrote about some of her most personal moments. One of them was her relationship with her biological mother. In one of the excerpts, she talked about how she and her sister Adria reacted to seeing their mother after their separation.

Simone Biles opened up about her feelings for her mother

While the star gymnast has always shown her love for her grandparents, Nellie and Ronald Biles, who raised Simone and her sister. Simone and her siblings were separated from their biological mother, since she couldn’t look after them properly. After their neighbors called Child Protection Services, the siblings entered the foster care system. Later, their grandparents took in Simone and Adria and officially adopted them.

Although the entire experience was quite sad for everyone, Simone experienced it differently. In her book, she recounted how the children met Shannon, their biological mother, one last time. While the others were sad and shed tears, Simone didn’t feel remorseful.

Read More: ?So Thankful to Have Been Adopted?: Gymnastics Legend, Simone Biles, Uses Her Voice for a Noble Cause

She recalled, “My sister and brother ended up sniffling all the way to Houston because they wanted to go back home. Adria and I didn’t cry.”?While Nellie and Ronald took in Simone and Adria, their aunt adopted Ashley and Tevin.

The sisters grew up in a loving household and the gymnast grew extremely attached to her new parents. In fact, she would often reveal her dependence on them for various menial tasks like cooking.

Simone’s family expands as she prepares for her wedding

Apart from being an iconic gymnast and winning many medals, Simone is also a loving fiance. The star athlete is all set to marry the love of her life – NFL star Jonathan Owens. Biles and Owens announced their engagement in the early half of this year.

While they haven’t announced their wedding date yet, the couple often keeps their fans updated on their big day. Incidentally, Simone is also close to her future mother-in-law and even wrote a heartwarming note for her on her birthday.

Watch this story: Simone Biles can’t hold in excitement as the big date with NFL player Jonathan Owens inches closer