She still can’t get over it! Simone Biles opened up about her experience meeting her celebrity crush, Zac Efron, in a new interview with Ellen DeGeneres on Tuesday, September 6.
During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the 19-year-old Olympic gymnast thanked the TV personality, 58, for letting the world know about her crush on the hunky heartthrob, 28.
“I can’t thank you enough. You’re the greatest of all time — the GOAT,” Biles told DeGeneres, who helped the gold medalist get Efron’s attention in a series of tweets earlier this year.
“He is [the sweetest guy] and he’s, like, even more perfect in person,” the Olympian continued. “I didn’t think someone could be so perfect, and [when] he was there, I was like, ‘Ahhh.’ I wanted to grab him and never let him go.”
In March, during a pre-Olympics interview, DeGeneres presented Biles with a leotard made up of photos of Efron. A few months later, the Neighbors actor tweeted, “Thanks for the heads up @TheEllenShow! Good luck at the Olympic trials @Simone_Biles! #Rio2016.” The Final Five gymnast, naturally, freaked out, replying, “OH MY GOSH I THINK I AM GOING TO PASS OUT OH MY GOSH CRYING! THANK YOU.” (Biles also gushed about the actor in Us Weekly‘s 25 Things.)
And in August, the Columbus, Ohio, native’s dream came true when Efron flew to Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Summer Olympics to congratulate Biles in person.
The High School Musical alum later appeared on the Today show, where he revealed he had butterflies while meeting Biles and her Final Five teammates Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian. “I kind of was getting nervous myself, but it ended up being so sweet,” he explained in August. “Their story just blew my mind. When I found out Simone and this team were fans, I was like, ‘What kind of guy am I if I don’t show up?'”
