Shanon, the estranged birth mother of Olympic icon Simone Biles, has publicly called for the gymnast to re-establish contact with her and her siblings. Shanon, who struggled with drug addiction in the past, abandoned Biles and her siblings when they were young. Now, she hopes for a reunion initiated by Biles.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Shanon expressed her deep regret and longing for forgiveness. "It was hard to give up my kids, but I had to do what I had to do," she said. "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."
Shanon's struggles led her father Ronald and his wife Nellie to take charge of Biles and her younger sister, moving them to Texas. Meanwhile, Shanon's older children, Tevin and Ashley, were cared for by Ronald's sister Harriet in Cleveland.
Despite her past, Shanon remains hopeful for a future relationship with Biles. She maintains contact with Biles' biological father, Kevin Clemons, who also battles addiction and is estranged from Biles. "We both want to see her," Shanon shared. "I talk to him all the time. He says, ‘If you talk to Simone, give her my number. I’d love to talk to her.’ But I can’t even talk to her. I have to go through my dad."
Simone Biles, now the second-most decorated female gymnast in Olympic history after winning four medals at the recent Paris Games, remains distant from her biological parents. Despite not being invited to Biles' wedding to NFL star Jonathan Owens, Shanon celebrated her daughter's success at the Paris Olympics with a party in her backyard in Columbus, Ohio.
"I want to let her know I love her and I’m very proud of her. But I’m still waiting," Shanon said, adding that she possesses Biles' phone number but has refrained from calling, believing that the celebrated Olympian should be the one to initiate contact.
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