The mother of American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles – Ms. Shanon Biles – wants to heal, ask for forgiveness from her daughter after a divided past.
Simone Biles’ mother had a long interview with the Daily Mail on August 13, a few days after her daughter returned from the Paris Olympics with three gold medals and one silver medal. Ms. Shanon recalled her past addiction that caused her to lose her connection with her children. At that time, the young mother struggled with addictions and financial and legal problems that forced her four children to go into the alternative care system and be adopted by others. “It took 6 years until I could see my children again. I respect my father for helping the children change their lives. He felt it was the best thing for them. It was hard to give them up, but I did what I had to do. I was not able to take care of them at that time. My father also did not want me to appear and disappear in their lives when I was not okay,” Shanon Biles shared.
“It took me six years to see my kids again. I respect my dad for helping them change their lives. He felt it was the best thing for them. It was hard to give them up, but I did what I had to do. I wasn’t able to take care of them at the time. My dad didn’t want me to come and go from their lives until I was okay,” Shanon Biles shared.
Shanon Biles and her biological father Ronald Biles have gotten better over the years. They can talk freely at any time, but her relationship with her famous daughter has not been repaired. She has Simone Biles’ phone number, but Shanon Biles says she “won’t call first.” Simone Biles’ mother expressed her desire to be a part of her daughter’s life, but understands that she will need to wait patiently for her daughter’s call, without rushing her.
“Everything I’ve heard about Simone has come from my dad,” Shanon said. “I want to make amends with her personally. I’m going to ask for forgiveness. Can we move forward? Stop judging my past, move on and sit down and talk. I want her to know how much I love her and how proud I am of her.”
Simone Biles’ biological father, Kevin Clemons, who lives in Cleveland, has also had no contact with his famous daughter. He was also addicted to drugs when he was young. Shanon and her ex-husband are still in contact. She said Kevin Clemons also wants to rebuild his father-daughter relationship with Simone Biles.
When asked about her direct message to her daughter, Simone Biles’ mother said: “I want us to sit down and talk. I’ll answer any questions you have. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I want you to hear the truth.”
The 52-year-old still lives in Columbus, Ohio, where Simone Biles and her sister Adria were born. The gymnastics legend now lives in Texas with her husband, football player Jonathan Owens. Houston, Texas, is also where Simone Biles lived since she was 6 years old with her grandfather Ronald Biles and his second wife Nellie, when they adopted her and her sister. Simone Biles’ two older siblings were adopted by her grandfather’s sister in Ohio.
Born in 1997, Simone Biles is a monument to the American and world gymnastics community. She is the most successful gymnast in the world with 7 Olympic gold medals and 23 world championship titles. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles attracted attention when she withdrew from some individual competitions to protect her mental health. At the Games three years ago, she only won a silver medal in the team event and a bronze medal in the balance beam, while at Rio 2016 she shone brightly with 4 gold medals. At the recent 2024 Paris Olympics, the “queen” reclaimed the women’s individual all-around title along with the women’s team all-around and vault titles. She also won a silver medal in floor performance.
