"I had to do what I had to do" - When Simone Biles' biological mother opened up about giving up her kids for adoption

Simone Biles' biological mother Shanon Biles once revealed that while it was hard for her to give up her children for adoption, it was also necessary given her inability to take care of them. The Biles siblings had been spending their time in and out of foster care for three years before the adoption.

Simone, the second-youngest of the four Biles siblings, was three years old when they were sent to foster care for the first time. Shanon and her husband Kelvin Clemons struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and were unable to take care of their children before social services interrupted and sent the children to foster care.

However, when Shanon's condition didn't improve after three years, her father, Ronald Biles, decided to adopt the children. Speaking in an interview with Daily Mail in 2016, the 52-year-old claimed it was very hard for her to give up her kids but also necessary.

"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," she said.

Ronald and his wife Nellie adopted Simone and her younger sister Adria while the remaining two siblings were adopted by their great-aunt. Meanwhile, Shanon remained entirely cut off from her children for six straight years.

"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. It took me six years before I saw my children again. I was respecting my Dad to let the kids’ transition, he felt that was the best thing for them," she added.

However, the 52-year-old has been sober since 2007 and occasionally speaks with Simone. She has apologized to the gymnast as well and recently expressed her desire to reunite with her.

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Shanon Biles asked Simone Biles to not judge her on her past

Simone Biles - Friends Of The Children 30th Anniversary Gala - Source: Getty

Speaking in an interview with the same publication following the 2024 Paris Olympics where Simone Biles won four medals, Shanon sought to make amends with the gymnast and asked her to not judge her on her past.

"I would like to make amends with Simone Biles personally. I’m just waiting for her and Adria [Biles]. 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,” she said.

While Biles hasn't expressed any animosity towards Shanon, the 27-year-old has claimed to feel sad about their relationship.