Simone Biles Deals With Long-Term Anxiety After Larry Nassar Abuse

Simone Biles is still grappling with the long-term mental and emotional impact of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of disgraced former U.S.A. Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. 

The Olympic champion appeared on Good Morning America this week to speak about being named ESPN’s most dominant athlete of 2018, saying, “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 also noted, “It’s not easy but the people surrounding me are some of the best so it makes it a little easier.”

Simone revealed on Twitter last January that she was abused by Larry. At the time, she stated: “I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar. 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.”

Simone Biles