Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is surrounded by a strong support system, including her husband, Jonathan Owens.
Who hasn’t been around for Simone throughout her incredible life and career is her biological mother, Shanon Biles.
Her mother, who has now spoken out during an interview with Daily Mail, hopes her daughter will forgive her.
In a sitdown with the Daily Mail, Shanon, the biological mother of the gymnastics star, expressed hope that she and Simone could talk and she would be forgiven for the things she did in the past.
“I would like to make amends with Simone personally. I’m just waiting for her and Adria [Biles]. I speak to Adria more than I speak to Simone. I would just ask her to forgive me. Can we move forward? Don’t judge me on my past. Let’s move forward,” she said.
The 52-year-old had given up Simone and her younger sister, Adria, to their grandfather and grandmother, Ron and Nellie Biles, when the kids were just toddlers as she battled drug and alcohol addictions
“I’m waiting for the opportunity, but I’m waiting on her to be able to come to me. Let’s sit down. I just have to be patient.”
Shanon Biles further stated in the interview that she speaks with Adria more often than with Simone.
She also addressed why she had to make the difficult decision to give up her children.
“I wasn’t able to care for them. I was still using, and my father [Ronald Biles] didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right,” she stated.
Because of her issues with drugs and alcohol, Simone and her younger sister, Adria Biles, were adopted by their maternal grandfather, Ronald, and his second wife, Nellie Biles, after the children were placed in foster care.
Her substance abuse issues often led to her going in and out of jail, which led to the early years of Simone, Adria, her older sister Ashley, and her brother Tevin frequently having trouble eating balanced meals.
Once she got to a point where she knew she would be unable to care for them all, the kids would be placed in foster care.
Ronald and Nellie adopted Simone and Adria, while Ashley and Tevin were adopted by Ronald’s sister and their great-aunt, Harriet, who raised them in Cleveland, Ohio.
Simone Biles Doesn’t Speak About Her Birth Mother Very Often
Despite Shanon Biles’s pride in seeing Simone continue her dominance in gymnastics, the two have not been and currently are not very close.
Simone does not speak publicly about her birth mom, so the only way she likely hears anything about her is through the media.
“What I hear about Simone, I hear through my dad. I speak to my dad all the time. We’re good now. It was just his birthday, and I called to wish him happy birthday,” Shanon said.
“If I need to know anything, I call my dad. I ask him about Simone, and he keeps me posted,” she added.
Back in 2015, it was reported that Simone was quick to correct anyone who called Shanon her mother.