Simone Biles is unarguably one of the most famous athletes out there but the record-breaking gymnast’s NFL boyfriend revealed he did not know who she really was before they became a pair.
While speaking in a recent episode of his girlfriend’s Simone vs Herself Facebook Watch docuseries, Jonathan Owens said that though he was aware Biles was a gymnast, he said he was oblivious of the magnitude of her popularity.
“Her work ethic was really the first thing that caught my eye,” the Houston Texans safety said, per Insider. “I never really watched gymnastics before I first started talking to her. When I met her, I honestly didn’t know who she was.”
Owens added that he eventually got to know he was dating a superstar when he mentioned her to people. “It was just like, ‘Oh, she has a lot of followers — she must be pretty good or something,” he said. “That’s how I would tell people and they’d be like: ‘Simone Biles?! You for real, the gymnast?!’ And I’m like ‘Man, she’s good like that?!’”
People on social media say they do not believe that Biles’ boyfriend didn’t know who she was. “Simone Biles boyfriend thought we were going to believe he did not know who she was before dating her. Slim, it’s SIMONE BILES,” one Twitter user wrote.
“I’m sorry. I’m just not buying Simone Biles’ boyfriend didn’t know who she was……because where do you live? Under a rock?” another asked.
Biles broke into the scene at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where she won four gold medals as well as a bronze medal. She has since gone ahead to make a name for herself and won several accolades along the way – making her a role model for aspiring gymnasts. The African-American athlete, who is currently the most decorated gymnast in history, will be representing the United States at the Tokyo Olympics.
“The coolest thing for me is that I get to witness someone who is literally in the pinnacle of their sport,” Owens said. “It’s motivating to see that and the impact that she has on people. We were walking past this group of girls and they were shaking, ‘Oh my god, it’s Simone!’”
“This is when I kind of knew,” he continued. “Like, OK, yeah, she’s the real deal.”
Elsewhere in the docuseries, Biles opened up about how her relationship with her beau has helped improve her craft. “We vibe on the same level. We have the same kind of humor. We’re both athletic. We’re both elite athletes,” Biles said. “So we definitely get each other. It was like it was meant to be.”
“Everybody loves him, even my family,” she revealed.
