The Olympic gymnast reveals that she still goes to therapy and takes anxiety medicine as she admits 'it's not easy' dealing with the emotional effects of the sexual abuse.
- Dec 12, 2018
AceShowbiz - Simone Biles is still dealing with the lasting effects caused sexual abuse that she suffered at the hands of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Stopping by "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, December 11 to unveil her cover for ESPN magazine, the Olympic medalist opened up about how she's handling it after coming forward as one of Nassar's victims.
"I'm on anxiety medicine now because I had a lot of ups and downs throughout the year and trying to figure out what was wrong," she shared while sitting down with Robin Roberts (II). "I go to therapy pretty regularly." The 21-year-old artistic gymnast admitted, "It's not easy but the people surrounding me are some of the best so it makes it a little easier."
Still, Simone is grateful for being able to use her voice for a better world. "There were a lot of points in this year that made me who I am today and I feel stronger," she said. "I feel like this year gave me a voice and I tried to find my voice this year and use that to the better potential and positive manner."
Simone, who won four gold medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, opened up in January of this year that she was one of Lassar's sexual abuse victims. "I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar," she wrote in a letter shared on Twitter. "Please believe me when I say it was a lot harder to first speak those words out loud than it is now to put them on paper. There are many reasons that I have been reluctant to share my story, but I know now it is not my fault."
Revealing that she used to blame herself, she continued, "For too long I've asked myself, 'Was I too naive? Was it my fault?' I now know the answers to those questions. No. No, it was not my fault. No, I will not and should not carry the guilt that belongs to Larry Nassar, USAG, and others."
Simone's Olympic teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas are among more than 150 women who have accused the disgraced doctor of sexual misconduct. In January, he was sentenced to more than 175 years in prison.
