Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts the world has ever seen. She accomplished a feat that was not achieved by any other gymnast in a brief span of time. Biles won 25 World Championship medals, which made her the most decorated gymnast of all time. However, her journey to the top was not very easy.

Simone and her siblings were in and out of foster care during their childhood. Simone went through many struggles as a child until her maternal grandparents adopted her. The champion gymnast opened up on the ordeal that she faced along with her siblings during her childhood.

Mother of Simone Biles opens up about her feelings

Simone  biological mother had been away for the majority period of her childhood. Her mother, Shanon Biles, opened up about how she was trying to bridge the fledging relationship between herself and Simone. Shanon was struggling with alcohol and drug abuse issues during Simone’s childhood. Her family stepped in support to take care of her four children when she could no longer care for them owing to her addictions.

Shanon expressed how it was a very difficult period for her. Speaking with the Daily Mail, she said,” It took me six years before I saw my children again. I was respecting my dad to let the kids transition, he felt that was the best thing for them. It was hard to give up my kids, but I had to do what I had to. I wasn’t able to care for them. I didn’t understand it at the time, but years later, I understood why. I had to deal with me first,” she concluded.

DIVE DEEPER: Simone Biles’ Future Husband Jonathan Owens Repeatedly Advises Her to “Pay More Attention” to an Important Life Skill

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Furthermore, Shanon revealed that Simone’s biological father was not in contact with Simone. Shanon would call him occasionally and he once revealed that he was very proud of what Simone had accomplished as a gymnast.

Simone’s relationship with her grandparents

Due to Shanon’s addictions, she put all four of her kids into foster care. Simone’s maternal grandparents, Ronald and Nellie Biles, adopted Simone and her sister Adria from foster care in 2003. Ronald’s sister adopted Shanon’s elder children, Tevin and Ashley. Ron and Nellie supported Simones’s dream to become a champion gymnast. Simone revealed a lot of such instances in her book Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance.

In many of her interviews, Simone has acknowledged the sacrifices both Ronnie and Nellie made to support her gymnastics career. One such sacrifice was when Nellie sold a portion of her business to construct a gym for Simone to train. Ron, after he retired from the FAA, would teach Simone for four hours daily as she was homeschooled. Simone addresses Ron and Nellie as mother and father. They would seldom be present during her competition to cheer for her.

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However, due to Covid restrictions, they could not fly to Tokyo to support Simone during the Olympics.