Does Simone Biles Have a Relationship With Her Biological Father?

Non-traditional households can be complicated, but that doesn’t mean they are any less capable of nurturing healthy, happy kids. The legendary gymnast, Simone Biles, is a good example of that. Biles’ parents, Ronald and Nellie Biles, adopted her when she was just six.

Biologically, Ron is the gymnast’s maternal grandfather, and Nellie is technically her step-grandmother. They have supported and loved Simone and her sister Adria since their birth parents couldn’t provide for them.

Simone Biles and her relationship with her biological father

For the seven-time Olympic medalist, Simone, talking to her birth mother, Shannon, isn’t out of the ordinary. Shannon Biles battled with alcohol and drug addiction, which led little Simone and her sibling to spend a considerable time in foster care. But about six years after the adoption papers were signed, Shannon gradually reconnected with her daughter.

Simone’s biological father, Kelvin Clemons, on the other hand, was never really in the picture. He struggled with his own addictions and has virtually no contact with Simone and her siblings. Shannon claims she occasionally talks to him on the phone.

She told the Daily Mail, “He just called me Sunday. I said, I’m watching Simone. Are you watching her? Are you watching her? Call me back later.’” She added, “He knows that’s his daughter, and he’s very proud of her.” But Clemons isn’t directly involved in his daughter’s life.

Ron Biles was raising Shannon as a single father before he met his wife, Nellie Biles. Consequently, Simone isn’t biologically related to her mother at all, and it was initially a little difficult for Nellie Biles to accept her role as an adoptive mother. However, she quickly learned to love Simone and her sister as her own daughters.

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How Simone views her adoption

In 2016, Simone shared her what-ifs with Time. “I wonder what my life would be like if none of this happened. I want to know why my mother did what she did. But those aren’t questions for me because that was her lifestyle when I wasn’t even born,” she said. She didn’t feel like any part of her was missing, so she never needed answers to those questions.

Simone also spoke in-depth about her adoption in 2017, when she was a participant in the TV reality ‘Dancing With the Stars’. She shared that her parents had “saved” her, and even before the adoption, whenever she visited them while she was in foster care, she was always excited to see them.

“My parents saved me… They’ve set huge examples of how to treat other people, and they’ve been there to support me since day one. There’s nothing I could say to them to thank them enough.” Simone said. It was not long before she took to calling them ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ after she was adopted.

Despite some roadblocks earlier in her life, Simone has had a happy childhood and enjoys the full support of her family. After she pulled out of multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics, citing mental health reasons, she flew straight home to her parents. They have an incredible bond.

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Source: | This article originally belongs to Essentially Sports