'Where the heck is my food?"- When Simone Biles opened up about childhood struggles before being adopted by her grandparents

Simone Biles once opened up about the struggles of finding food when she and her siblings stayed with their biological mother, Shannon Biles. Biles and her siblings landed in foster care in the wake of their mother's excessive drug abuse but were soon adopted by their grandparents.

Biles became the most decorated gymnast in history after extending her Olympic and World medal tally to 11 and 30, respectively. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she redeemed her top spot by winning the all-around, team, and vault titles, besides clinching the silver medal in the floor exercise.

Underneath her massive success in the sporting world, the Olympian has a troubled past she often talks about. In the Facebook Watch series, Simone vs Herself from 2021, the 30-time World medalist shared how getting proper food was a rare scenario when she and her siblings stayed with their biological mother, Shannon Biles, who suffered from drug abuse. The children then landed in foster care when neighbors expressed concerns to the social workers.

"Growing up, me and my siblings were so focused on food because we didn't have a lot of food. I remember there was this cat around the house and I'd be so hungry. They would feed this cat and I'm like, 'Where the heck is my food?' " she shared on the 'Who am I?' episode. (via People)

Biles also unveiled the reality behind disliking cats.

"And so I think that's where it stemmed where I don't like cats is because this frickin' street cat, she always fed it, but she never fed us," she added.

Nellie and Ron Biles adopted her and her sister, Adria Biles when the Olympian was six. In the Facebook Watch series, Simone Biles also noted how fortunate she and her siblings were to not get regrouped from home to home.

Simone Biles shared that getting adopted by her grandparents gave her a 'second shot' in life

Biles and family at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "Simone Biles Rising: Part 2" - (Source: Getty)

Since her life with her biological mother was troublesome, Biles felt that her grandparents adopting her was a 'second shot' in life for her. In the Facebook Watch series, Simon vs Herself, the Texas native thanked Nellie and Ron Biles, saying:

"Being separated from my biological mom, being placed in foster care before I officially got adopted by my grandparents, it just set me up for a better route at life. And I feel like I wouldn't be where I am unless that turning point happened." (via People)

She added:

"I would still be Simone Biles, probably not Simone Biles that everybody else knows, the world knows. But I also believe everything happens for a reason and I'm forever grateful for that because I definitely got a second shot at life."

Simone Biles Rising, the Netflix docuseries surrounding her Paris Olympics participation, will be released on the OTT platform on October 25, 2024.