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Simone Biles reveals she and boyfriend Stacey Ervin Jr. have split up

In a new cover story for Vogue, the 23-year-old gymnast said she Ervin called it quits back in early March.
/ Source: TODAY

Simone Biles has broken up with her boyfriend of nearly three years.

In a new cover story for Vogue, the 23-year-old gymnast revealed she and Stacey Ervin Jr., 26, called it quits back in early March.

Gymnasts Simone Biles and Stacey Ervin Jr. dated for nearly three years before splitting up in March.
Gymnasts Simone Biles and Stacey Ervin Jr. dated for nearly three years before splitting up in March.simonebiles/Instagram

"It’s hard being young and having that long of a relationship and then ending it," the four-time gold medalist said of the breakup. "But it was for the best.”

In March, Internet sleuths noticed that Ervin, a wrestler, former gymnast and fitness coach, did not wish Biles a happy birthday and she unfollowed him on Instagram.

The pair began dating in the summer of 2017. According to People, the pair formed a love connection after Biles' grandmother (and adopted mother) hired him to be a coach at her gym.

It may have been the first romantic relationship ever for the then 20-year-old gymnast. She told Entertainment Tonight in April of that year, "I have never had a boyfriend in my life. At 20 years old I feel like you should have gone through those things and gone on dates. I have been on like, maybe one proper date."

Back in October, Ervin went viral for cheering Biles on when she competed at the world championship in Stuttgart, Germany. He wasn’t able to be by her side for the competition, but in a clip shared on Twitter, he proved no one cheered, fist-pumped or jumped for her more than he did.

“C’mon, babe,” he said as he watched her final challenge of the competition. “C’mon, C’mon, C’mon! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“MY WOMAN IS A 5x WORLD CHAMPION IN THE ALL-AROUND & I COULDN’T BE MORE PROUD,” he wrote in the caption after she snagged the top prize. “I get hyped every time I watch her do her thing & today was no exception. Congratulation, babe! The whole world is proud of you!”

That same month, Biles posted a sweet birthday message to the "man of her dreams."

Simone Biles/Instagram

"(S)o many things I love about you," she wrote at the time. "Your energy lights up an entire room. You're a true gentleman and you always put others first! Your mindset, grit and your passion for greatness. 26 will be a great one! Never stop being you Stacey Ervin Jr. I love you."

Ervin wrote back with his own adoring message: "I appreciate you more each day. Sincerely, you are my angel & inspire me. Thank you for continuing to believe in me, & always being yourself. I love you forever."