Simone Biles’s Birth Mom Publicly Asked The Gymnast If They Can “Move Forward” As She Discussed Their Strained Relationship

This post discusses substance misuse.

Simone Biles’s biological mother, Shanon Biles, has publicly addressed the gymnast in a new interview.

If you didn’t know, Simone was adopted by her grandparents , Ron and Nellie, when she was just 6 years old after she and her siblings were placed in foster care due to their biological mother’s substance misuse.

Simone’s sister, Adria, was also adopted by Ron and Nellie, while their other siblings, Ashley and Tevin, were adopted by Ron’s sister, Harriet.

Simone’s recent documentary, Simone Biles Rising , touches on how her biological mother was repeatedly jailed throughout the gymnast’s tumultuous childhood. Simone makes it clear in the documentary that she’s super close with her grandparents, whom she calls mom and dad.

Shanon has done a handful of interviews over the years, discussing her strained relationship with her kids. She previously revealed that she didn’t see her children for six years after Nellie and Ron adopted them.

“When we signed the [adoption] papers, it was like my dad flipped a switch on me — no communication, don’t call, and don’t visit. That’s how it was at the beginning,” she told the Daily Mail . “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 was still using and he didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right.”

Now, Shanon has spoken with the Daily Mail again this week.

"Whenever she’s ready, she’s ready. And I’m here," Shanon said of Simone. "I want her to be able to come to me and say, 'OK, let's have a sit-down. There's some things I wanna know.'"

"I wanna let her know that I love her, I'm very proud of her," she added.

Shanon went on to note that while she does have access to Simone's cellphone number, she won't reach out first, and instead gets updates on the gymnast through her dad. "I want her to reach out to me," she said. "She's 27 now, she's married... I just have to wait for her."

Per the New York Post , Shanon also said that she'd like to ask Simone for forgiveness.

“I would like to make amends with Simone personally — I’m just waiting for her and Adria,” Shanon purportedly said .

“I would just ask her to forgive me. Can we move forward? Don’t judge me on my past. Let’s move forward,” she added.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, SAMHSA's National Helpline can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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