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.
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.”
Recent revelations have surfaced about the complicated family dynamics in the life of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. The new information suggests that Simone Biles’ biological grandmother, like her birth mother Shanon Biles, also experienced abandonment, adding layers to the gymnast’s challenging family history.
“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.”
