Simone Biles Reveals She's Taking Anti-Anxiety Medication After Larry Nassar Abuse

The Olympian opened up about the topic on Good Morning America

By Elyse Dupre Dec 11, 2018 4:57 PMTags
Simone BilesTodd Williamson/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter

Simone Biles appeared on Tuesday's episode of Good Morning America and opened up about taking medication to treat her anxiety.

The topic came up after Robin Roberts asked the Olympian about how she used her voice to speak out against Larry Nassar—the disgraced doctor whom Biles and hundreds of other young women accused of sexual abuse—and how she's continued to process it all.

"It's definitely not easy. I mean, I have my ups and downs," the star athlete said. "I still go to therapy, and 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. So, I go to therapy pretty regularly. It's not easy, but the people surrounding me are some of the best so it makes it a little easier."

Biles came forward with the accusation in January 2018. In a lengthy note posted to social media, the gold medal winner revealed she had "felt a bit broken" and that "the more I try to shut off the voice in my head, the louder it screams." However, she stated she was "not afraid to tell my story anymore."

"After hearing the brave stories of my friends and other survivors, I know that this horrific experience does not define me," she wrote at one point in the open letter. "I am much more than this. I am unique, smart, talented, motivated and passionate. I have promised myself that my story will be much greater than this and I promise all of you that I will never give up. I will compete with all of my heart and soul every time I step into the gym. I love this sport too much and I have never been a quitter. I won't let one man and the others that enabled him to steal my love and joy." 

Her fellow Olympians, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, had also accused Nassar of sexual abuse.

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In January, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing girls under the guise of medical treatment. He was then sentenced to another 40 to 125 years in February. 

During the interview, Biles opened up about finding her voice and how doing so made her stronger.

"I feel like there were a lot of points in this year that made me who I am today," she told the GMA anchor. "I feel stronger, but I feel like this year gave me a voice. I tried to find my voice this year and use that to the better potential and positive manner. So, it was a very good year."

In addition, Biles opened up about competing in the world championships, despite having a kidney stone. She also talked about covering ESPN The Magazine and being named the most dominant athlete of 2018.

Watch the video to see her interview.