Simone Biles has honored her parents, just a day after the gymnast’s biological mother publicly asked for forgiveness.
Drug addiction caused Shanon Biles to abandon her children and meIn an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com on Tuesday, the 52-year-old said she hopes her daughter will contact her one day.
However, on Wednesday the historic gymnast revealed that her biological grandparents, who adopted her at the age of six, had bought her a gift after her Olympic gold in Paris.
“My parents bought me my Hermes bag,” she said wrote on Threads next to a love heart emoji. ‘Don’t be mad at me, be mad at your parents’
Biles won three more gold medals – and a silver – to confirm her position as gymnastics’ biggest star at this summer’s Games in Paris.
Simone Biles has honored her parents after they recently bought her a Hermes bag
The gymnast was adopted by her biological grandparents Ronald and Nellie, pictured, aged 6
She has since returned to the United States to be reunited with her NFL husband Jonathan Owens, a safety for the Chicago Bears.
Owens was in the audience when Biles, now 27, won gold in the team all-around competition, the individual all-around and the vault. She took silver on the floor exercise.
So did Biles’ parents — Ronald and Nellie — who cared for the gymnast and her younger sister Adria and moved them to Texas to live with them.
Shanon lost her children first to foster care and then to adoption. Her father and Nellie took in Simone and Adria, and her two oldest children—Tevin, now 29, and Ashley, now 34—were cared for by Ronald’s sister.
Shanon’s life spiraled out of control due to drug and alcohol addiction. The 52-year-old has racked up a series of debts and has long lived in the same house in Columbus’ crime-ridden Franklinton neighborhood.
Biles’ biological mother, Shanon, has said she hopes her daughter will contact her someday.
“It was hard to give up my children, but I had to do what I had to do. I couldn’t take care of them. I was still using and (my father) didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t well,” she explained to DailyMail.com.
Shanon spoke about her sadness at missing out on important events in her life, including Biles’ wedding to Owens last year.
“I want to make it up to Simone personally – I’m just waiting for her and Adria. I talk to Adria more than Simone,” she said.
“I would just ask her to forgive me. Can we move on? Don’t judge me for my past. Let’s move on. I’m waiting for the chance, but I’m waiting for her to come to me. Let’s sit down. I just have to be patient.”