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‘Terrified’ at 3, Simone Biles Faced Separation Anxiety From Her Siblings After Biological Mother’s Mistake

Published 04/21/2024, 10:00 AM EDT

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Simone Biles‘s life story is no secret to the public. Ron and Nellie, who are Simone’s biological grandparents, embraced her and her sister by adopting them at the tender age of six. However, amidst the acclaim and success, curiosity often arises about Simone’s biological parents. Who are Simone Biles’ biological parents and what part did they play in her upbringing?

Her biological parents are Kelvin Clemons and Shanon Biles. Biles’ birth father and mother, both grappled with the challenges of alcohol and drug dependency. Due to this, instability and hardship marked Simone’s early years, enduring a period in foster care from ages two to approximately five.

Simone Biles’ emotional journey in foster care

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In a recent podcast conversation with Alex Cooper titled “Call Her Daddy,” Simone candidly shared insights into her tumultuous upbringing. Simone Biles had three siblings Adria Biles, Ashley Biles, and Tevin Biles. During a podcast,  Simone Biles was asked about her early experiences in foster care.

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Biles reflected on her tender age at the time, recalling later revelations about the circumstances. She revealed, “I was only three years old, so I learned that a little bit whenever I was older.” Biles described the anxiousness she felt during her time in foster care, particularly due to the separation from her brother.

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She recounted, “The only thing that I remember was just being anxious when we would go to sleep because my brother was in the room next door and I think we were just always used to sleeping together or close or whatever.” Despite being with her sister, Adria, the fear of sibling separation loomed large. She explained, “So I was just so terrified that if I woke up, my brother wouldn’t be there.”

Even though I was with my sister, I was like, oh, we all have to stay together.” While Adria and Biles found a new home through adoption, the fate of their two siblings, Ashley and Tevin, took a different path. They remained in Ohio, where they were adopted by their father’s sister.

Will Shannon Biles and Simone reunite? And what of Kelvin Clemons?

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As of 2021, according to records obtained by Heavy Sports.com, Shanon Biles resides in Columbus, Ohio, where Simone was born. Court documents from Franklin County indicate that Shanon Biles was on probation for assault in 2021, with her probation slated to conclude on January 12, 2022. Despite this information, there have been no public updates regarding any potential reunion between Shanon and Simone.

Simone Biles’ biological father, Kelvin Clemons, is currently not in contact with his daughter. Despite this, Simone’s mother, Shanon, shared with the Daily Mail publication that Kelvin acknowledges Simone as his daughter and is proud of her accomplishments. While Simone Biles’ biological parents have had challenges in their personal lives, it seems that Simone has found a loving and supportive family environment with her grandparents who adopted and raised her.

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Written by:

Maleehah Shakeel

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Maleehah Shakeel is an Olympic Sports writer at EssentiallySports who covers equestrian sports, rodeo, bull riding, and Gymnastics. Maleehah’s stories revolve around various brand endorsement deals of athletes like Jessica Springsteen, Jennifer Gates, and Olivia Dunne. She has written in depth about the brand collaboration between Jessica Springsteen and Tommy Hilfiger.
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Edited by:

Sampurna Pal