Simone Biles says therapy saved her
Simone Biles said therapy helped her manage the pressure and expectations that came with early success
11 December 2025
Simone Biles was "saved" by therapy. The 28-year-old Olympic gymnast has been in the spotlight since she was teenager after wining a gold medal at the 2013 World Gymnastics Championships in Belgium when she was just 16 and she went on to become the most decorated gymnast in history - but Simone is adamant her success became a burden and she needed professional help to cope. She told Harper's Bazaar Spain: "Yes [success became a burden]. Achieving success so young was very difficult. Suddenly everyone is watching you, telling you how to act, how to speak. I was afraid of disappointing them. That's why I started going to therapy. I needed to learn how to handle the pressure, how to remain true to myself. It was a crucial decision: taking care of my mind saved me as an athlete and as a person ... I still go to therapy every week. It keeps me grounded and helps me process everything that's happening in my life and in the world. It's my safe haven, the place where I learn to be kind to myself."
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