Four thousand miles and a lifetime of hurt stood between Shanon Biles and a front row seat at the Paris Olympics.
But nothing can diminish the pride with which she beams at the mention of daughter Simone’s triumphant return to form three years after she bowed out of the Tokyo games.
Now, speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Shanon, 52, has said that she lives in hope for the day Simone reaches out so she can ask her daughter for forgiveness for the past she cannot change after her drug addiction led to her to abandon her children.
But still longs to make amends.
‘It was hard to give up my kids, but I had to do what I had to do. 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,’ she explained to DailyMail.com.
And she has told of her sadness that, to this day, she has no part in major life events such as Simone’s wedding last year to NFL player Jonathan Owens.
She said, ‘I would like to make amends with Simone personally – I’m just waiting for her and [her younger sister] Adria. I speak to Adria more than I speak to Simone. I would just ask her to forgive me. Can we move forward? Don’t judge me on my past. Let’s move forward.
Shanon revealed that she was so proud of the Olympic performance which confirmed Simone, 27, as the G.O.A.T that she threw a party out in the backyard of her row house in Columbus, Ohio.
Friends and neighbors gathered to celebrate Team USA and the dominance of the floor, vault and balance beam which saw Simone take home three golds and one silver medal.
It was a bittersweet affair.
Today Shanon is clean and sober, but she says very clearly, ‘I am a recovering addict and will always be an addict. But there’s a way [to recovery]. You have to learn to stay away from people, places and things. Change your routine and live your life. Live your best life.’
Biles has not yet publicly responded to her birth mother’s plea.
This emotional story has sparked widespread discussion and debate on social media, with many expressing sympathy for Shanon Biles while others questioning the appropriateness of her public appeal.
