"I felt so torn" - When Simone Biles recalled her quandary of choosing between going back with mother Shanon and staying with grandparents

Modified Jan 22, 2025 22:18 GMT

Simone Biles' once recalled that she felt torn between the decision to go back with her mother Shanon and staying at her grandparents' house. While the gymnast eventually had to go back with her mother, she was adopted by her grandparents afterward.

Biles' was born to parents, Shanon Biles and Kelvin Clemons, in Ohio but they struggled with severe alcohol and drug addictions. The gymnast was sent to foster care alongside her three siblings and was later taken home by Ronald and Nellie, who lived in Spring, Texas.

However, several months after their arrival, Shanon visited them and asked Ronald about taking her children back. Recalling the moment in her 2016 memoir, 'Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance', Biles said she didn't know how to feel.

"A couple of days later, when Shanon started talking about trying to reunite the family, I didn’t know how to feel," she wrote.

The 27-year-old added that her elder siblings, Ashley and Tevin, wanted to go back with their mother, and while she loved her grandparents, she didn't want to live apart from her brother and sister.

"Ashley and Tevin wanted to be with her, and as much as I’d grown to love and depend on my grandparents, I wanted to be with my brother and sister. I didn’t know the world without them. I felt so torn," Simone Biles added.

While the seven-time Olympic champion had to eventually return to Ohio after a few months, Ronald and Nellie adopted her and her younger sister Adria a couple of years later while Ashley and Tevin were adopted by their great aunt.

Simone Biles' mother Shanon Biles asked the gymnast for forgiveness following the 2024 Paris Olympics

New England Patriots v Chicago Bears - Simone Biles in action (Source: Getty)

While Simone Biles has admitted to not holding grudges against her biological mother, Shanon, the gymnast hasn't reconciled with her either. Speaking in an interview with the Daily Mail in August 2024, Shanon begged the Olympic champion for forgiveness and said she wanted to make amends in their relationship.

“I would like to make amends with Simone personally — I’m just waiting for her and [her younger sister] Adria. 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.

While Shanon claimed that she was sober and clean now and had been working as a cashier at Save A Lot, a discount grocery store, Biles hasn't publicly mentioned her since her 2016 memoir, in which she also didn't refer to her as mother.