Simone Biles, the American gymnast, who is often regarded as the GOAT of the sport due to her multiple Olympic and World Championship medals, overcame a challenging childhood.
Family Background
Simone’s biological father, Kelvin Clemons, has been absent from his children’s lives. According to Shannon Biles, Simone’s biological mother, in a 2016 interview with The Daily Mail, Kelvin has never made contact with any of his children.
Shannon and Kelvin met as teenagers and both struggled with addiction. Despite his absence, Kelvin reportedly expressed pride in Simone’s achievements during the Rio Olympics, as revealed by Shannon in the same interview.
When did Simone Biles get adopted?
In 2003, at the age of six, Simone and her sister Adria were adopted by Ronald Biles (Shannon’s biological father) and his second wife, Nellie. Before the adoption, Simone and her siblings were in foster care due to Shannon’s substance use disorder.
Simone’s two other siblings, Tevin and Ashley, were adopted by Ronald’s sister, Harriett, who raised them in Cleveland, Ohio.
During her appearance on “Dancing With the Stars,” Simone openly discussed the challenges with her biological mother and how adoption transformed her life. She credited Ronald and Nellie for their unwavering support and for allowing her to make her own decisions.
Shanon Biles regrets her past
Shannon Biles had to wait six years after the adoption before seeing her children again. In the 2016 Daily Mail interview, she described the painful experience of leaving her children:
“It was hard to give up my kids, but I had to do what I had to do. I wasn’t able to care for them. I was still using and [my father] didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right.”
Shannon mentioned that signing the adoption papers felt like her father, Ronald, had flipped the switch on her, cutting off any communication with her until she became sober.
She, however, did get the opportunity to communicate with Simone, and whenever she did, she only had brief conversations. The gymnast’s biological mother likewise kept boundaries while conversing with her distant daughter, refraining from invading her privacy.
