Shanon Biles remains hopeful that one day she’ll be able to have a relationship with her daughter, seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, but she said she’s leaving that up to the 27-year-old to be the one to reach out.
In a sitdown with the Daily Mail, Shanon, the biological mother of the gymnastics star, expressed hope that she would be able to one day be able to ask the Olympian for forgiveness over her past.
Shanon, 52, had given up Simone and her younger sister, Adria, to their grandfather and grandmother, Ron and Nellie Biles, when the girls were just toddlers as Shanon battled drug and alcohol addictions.
“I would like to make amends with Simone personally — I’m just waiting for her and [her younger sister] Adria,” Shanon told the Daily Mail. “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.
“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.”
The outlet published the interview with Shanon just days after the close of the Summer Olympics. Simone cemented her place as the GOAT in gymnastics by taking home three gold medals and a silver medal to increase her career medal count to 11.
Shanon said that she had been following the game back at her home in Columbus, Ohio, where Simone and her sister had once lived before bouncing around foster homes and then being adopted by her grandparents in Texas. Shanon gathered with friends and neighbors to watch the games.
Despite the pride she took in seeing Simone continue her dominance in gymnastics, the two are not close and do not currently have direct communication with one another.
“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.
Ron and Nellie Biles raised Simone and Adria in the Houston, Texas area and provided the girls the stable home life they had struggled to find while living with their biological mother.
While it’s unclear how Simone views Shanon, the Associated Press reported in 2015 that the gymnast was quick to correct anyone who called Shanon her mother.
Shanon told the Daily Mail that she is clean and sober and she has been working as a cashier at Save A Lot, a discount grocery store.
“I’m not the person I used to be. I’m OK, today. I’m a loving person,” she said, while still feeling the pain of missing out on some of the biggest moments of Simone’s life such as her wedding with Bears safety Jonathan Owens.
Shanon wants the opportunity to tell Simone and Adria “how it really was” during those early days and wants to tell Simone that “I love her and I’m very proud of her.”
Simone’s biological father Kevin Clemons has also expressed a desire to build a relationship with her and Shanon told the outlet that she was in contact with him.
“I do have a direct number, but I won’t use it,” Shanon said. “I want her to reach out to me. She’s 27 now. She’s married. I would have liked to have been a part of that, but I just have to wait for her. You can’t push anybody.
“It hasn’t happened yet, but I have patience. I’m waiting on her.”
Here are the comments of some fans.
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Any respect that I had for you turning your life around went away when you opened your mouth to the press. It’s not about you and your wish to reconcile. You should respect Simone’s privacy. And your timing speaks volumes.
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$hannon wonder$ why $imone doe$n’t want to contact her? Wonder what the mom’$ angle i$. Per$onally $he $eem$ genuinely $orry.
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God bless the grandparents
