“Why we are proud of you is that..”:Simone Biles’ Parents

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is one of the four kids born to Shanon Biles and Kelvin Clemons in Columbus, Ohio. Despite being born to Shanon and Kelvin, she was raised by her maternal grandparents, Ronald ‘Ron’ Biles, and his second wife, Nellie Ceytano Biles. Mr. and Mrs. Biles adopted Simone in 2003 after she spent most of her toddler years in and out of foster care.

So, since 2003, Ron Biles and Nellie Biles are officially Simone Biles’ parents. Here, let’s get to know more about the Olympic gold medalist’s parents, who played a vital role in making her one of the world’s most dominant gymnasts of all time.

Simone Biles’ Biological Mother Left Her In Foster Care
As mentioned above, Simone Biles arrived in this world through mother Shanon Biles and father Kelvin Clemons. However, her biological dad, Kelvin, left her and her three siblings, Adria Biles, Tevin Biles-Thomas, and Ashley Biles-Thomas, soon after her birth.

Moreover, Simone Biles’ biological mother was also struggling with drug and alcohol abuse and was usually in and out of jail. So, she left her kids in foster care.

Thankfully, Simone Biles’ maternal grandparents, Ron, and his wife, Nellie Biles, adopted Simone and her youngest sister, Adria, when she was six years old. Moreover, Ron’s sister, Harriet, adopted Simone’s other two siblings, Ashley and Tevin. Ever since then, Ron and Nellie are officially Simone Biles’ parents.

After adopting Simone Biles, Ron totally restricted Simone’s biological mom, Shanon, from communicating with her and visit her. Ron did so because he thought it was the best thing for Simone at that time, as Shanon was still using drugs. So, Simone Biles never met or talked with her biological mom while growing up.

But, since the past few years, Simone has reconciled with her biological mom, Shanon, who’s been sober since 2007. Though she does not attend her daughter’s games, she watches most of them from the TV in her home in a quiet neighborhood of Ohio.

Similarly, though Simone’s biological dad, Kelvin, who also struggled with addictions, is not in touch with his girl, he also watches her from TV. As a result, both of them feel really proud of their daughter.

Biles’ Credits Her Parents For Saving Her
During an appearance with Dancing with the Stars in 2017, Simone Biles credited her parents, Ron and Nellie, for saving her. She tearfully expressed her gratitude to her mom and dad, who got her out of foster care and always encouraged and aided her to achieve her dream.

Simone said that she never had a mom to run to because her biological mom, Shanon, was a drug addict and was frequently in and out of jail. She added that she still remembers often being hungry and afraid. Though Shanon let Simone struggle in foster care, her grandparents visited her often.