Simone Biles’ Birth Mother Seeks Forgiveness: ‘Let’s Move Forward’

Shanon Biles spoke to the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, expressing her desire to reconcile with her daughter, Simone Biles, the decorated Olympic gymnast who recently won four medals in Paris.

“I’m waiting for the opportunity, but I’m waiting on her to be able to come to me,” Shanon said. “Let’s sit down. I just have to be patient.”

Shanon and Simone have been estranged since 2000 when Shanon signed the adoption papers for Simone and her sister Adria, who were then raised by their maternal grandparents, Ron and Nellie.

“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,” Shanon told Daily Mail in 2016.

Shanon added, “It took me six years before I saw my children again.”

At the time, Shanon was struggling with addiction and had frequent legal troubles involving drinking and driving, assault, and drug possession. She told the Daily Mail she is now sober.

“I am a recovering addict and will always be an addict. But there’s a way [to recovery]. You have to learn to stay away from people, places, and things. Change your routine and live your life. Live your best life,” Shanon shared.

In 2018, Shanon, who had just $34 to her name according to a bankruptcy filing, now works as a cashier at Save A Lot.

“I’m not the person I used to be. I’m okay, today. I’m a loving person. I’d give you the shirt off my back,” she said. “I’m very different from what I’ve been portrayed as.”

Shanon mentioned in a 2016 interview with a British tabloid that her conversations with Simone are usually brief. “I miss you, I love you, I can’t wait to see you, I’m proud of you, I’m watching. You go girl,” was one example she provided.

She also criticized the media and Ron’s handling of her situation in 2016. “I feel like he didn’t have to be so harsh about it,” she said to TMZ. “He could’ve been a little bit more classy with it. He didn’t have to put me under the bus.”

Ron, in a 2016 interview with NBC, said, “Her (Simone’s) mother had many problems whether with drugs or alcohol. Her kids were eventually taken away from her.”

Shanon revealed she communicates with and hears about Simone through Ron, although she has a direct line to Simone, which she chooses not to use.

“I do have a direct number, but I won’t use it. I want her to reach out to me,” she said. “It hasn’t happened yet, but I have patience. I’m waiting on her.”

Shanon added that she would like “to sit down and talk” with Simone “and answer any questions (she) may have. I don’t know what you’ve been told but I want you to hear the real deal.”

Source: Daily Mail, TMZ, NBC