Shanon Biles Is Proud Of Simone Biles

Simone Biles' adoption is no secret. In fact, it's one of the reasons her story is so inspiring. Shanon Biles, Biles' birth mother, gave up her daughter and three other children at the depth of her struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. Shanon is a presence in Biles' life, and although they have a distant relationship, Shanon loves her daughter and wants the best for her.

Shanon, 44, suffered from drug and alcohol addition throughout most of her adult life. In 2000, when Biles was just two, the children entered foster care and the family intervened when it became apparent that Shanon could no longer care for her children. Simone and younger sister Adria were adopted by Ron and Nellie Biles, their grandparents, in 2002, while their two older siblings, Ashley and Tevin, were taken in by Shanon's older brother.

Shanon told TMZ that she has been sober since 2007. She now lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her two younger children, 12-year-old Taron and nine-year-old Shania. She watches Simone's career mostly from a distance, wanting to respect the rules that her parents have put in place. "There’s a lot of stuff I want to talk to Simone about but I’ve been respecting [Ron and Nellie]," Shanon told The Daily Mail. "I feel like I have no rights. They were raising her, working with her, doing this and that. And who am I? I’m outside looking in. Even though I’m her biological mom, I have to respect them."

According to Shanon's interview with The Daily Mail, she and Biles do talk occasionally, and see each other every few years. The last time the two were together was in 2014, when Shanon watched her compete at the P&G Championships, but Shanon said that she hopes that will change soon. Now that Biles is older, her birth mother wants to tell Simone more about her life and what lead to Simone's adoption. "I want to tell her what really happened when I was younger but I keep on waiting for the right time," Shanon told The Daily Mail.

Shanon isn't in Rio watching Simone because she didn't want to throw her off her game. "‘I couldn’t afford it and it’s a lot of pressure for her," Shanon told Daily Mail. "You always have a bond with your child but with us not growing up together, I don’t want to make her nervous, get her out of character." But as any good mother would, she's still watching Biles compete on TV with joy. "I’m just here, yelling, 'Go Simone!' at the TV."