News | Entertainment
2 Jul 2025 13:11
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Simone Biles has been supported by former Olympian Michael Phelps after she pulled out of two gymnastics events for the sake of her mental health

    The 24-year-old gymnast won four gold medals for team USA at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and has admitted that pressure of living up to that success at the current games in Tokyo has been tough to deal with


    Simone pulled out of the women’s gymnastics team final earlier this week after stumbling in her vault routine, and later said her mental health had got the better of her as she revealed she would also be backing out of Thursday’s (29.07.21) individual all-round final.

    And now, former competitive swimmer Michael – who is the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals to his name – has said he understands the immense pressure Simone is under.

    Speaking on NBC – where he is working as a TV analyst during the Tokyo

    2020 Olympic Games – he said: "We're humans, right? We're human beings.

    Nobody is perfect so yes, it is okay to not be okay. It's okay to go through ups and downs and emotional roller coasters. But I think the biggest thing is we all need to ask for help sometimes too when we go through those times. For me, I can say personally it was something very challenging. It was hard for me to ask for help. I felt like I was carrying, as Simone said, the weight of the world on [my] shoulders.

    It's a tough situation.

    “We need someone who we can trust. Somebody that can let us be ourselves and listen. Allow us to become vulnerable. Somebody who's not going to try and fix us. We carry a lot of things, a lot of weight on our shoulders, and it's challenging, especially when we have the lights on us and all of these expectations being thrown on top of us."

    Michael has been open about his own struggles with mental health throughout the latter part of his career, and praised both Simone and tennis star Naomi Osaka for sharing their personal struggles.

    He added: "I hope this is an opportunity for us to jump onboard and to even blow this mental health thing even more wide open. It is so much bigger than we can ever imagine.

    “Look, for me when I started on this journey five years ago, I knew it was big. I knew it was going to be challenging. Five years into it now, it's even bigger than I can comprehend. So this is something that is going to take a lot of time, a lot of hard work and people that are willing to help.

    “If we're not taking care of both [physical and mental health], how are we ever expecting to be 100 percent?”

    Although Simone is now out of the running for the individual all-round final, her team will continue to monitor her health with the hope that she will return to the gymnastics arena for next week’s individual event finals.

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     02 Jul: Scarlett Johansson has revealed that her twin brother Hunter was her most enthusiastic supporter at the premiere of Jurassic World Rebirth
     02 Jul: James Norton is "crazily grateful" for the "pain" of his split from Imogen Poots
     02 Jul: Rihanna's father died of cancer and other serious illnesses
     02 Jul: Sir David Beckham has had an operation to repair a broken wrist he suffered in 2003
     02 Jul: The largest collection of Princess Diana's belongings have gone up for auction
     02 Jul: Scott Wolf has been granted temporary custody of his children
     02 Jul: Brad Pitt's home has been burgled
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The spectre of a second-string opponent is just something the All Blacks have to deal with More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    The Commerce Commission's issued a warning to Foodstuffs North Island, over an alleged breach of the Grocery Supply Code More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Scarlett Johansson has revealed that her twin brother Hunter was her most enthusiastic supporter at the premiere of Jurassic World Rebirth 12:36

    Law and Order:
    Police are preparing to investigate a Gore toddler's death - for a third time 12:27

    Entertainment:
    James Norton is "crazily grateful" for the "pain" of his split from Imogen Poots 12:06

    Rugby League:
    Former Kiwis captain turned pundit Richie Barnett has explained why the Warriors can still finish in the NRL's top four, despite halfback Luke Metcalf's season-ending knee injury 11:57

    Law and Order:
    Cordons are up around a home in Auckland's Ponsonby - where a person was found dead last night 11:47

    Entertainment:
    Rihanna's father died of cancer and other serious illnesses 11:36

    Rugby League:
    The Dolphins now have eight of their top-30 NRL league squad absent with long-term injuries after scans on in-form playmaker Kodi Nikorima's hamstring 11:07

    Entertainment:
    Sir David Beckham has had an operation to repair a broken wrist he suffered in 2003 11:06

    Politics:
    US Senate passes Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill' by narrow margin 10:57

    Law and Order:
    A teenager's died in Auckland City Hospital after he was involved in a serious crash in Kumeu on Friday night 10:47


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd