Reality TV star’s daughter, 19, looking to shine for Team GB at Paris 2024 as she gets set for Olympics
ANDREA Spendolini-Sirieix is the superstar diver gunning for a medal at Paris 2024.
Andrea also has a famous father who can’t wait to see his daughter perform at the Olympics – First Dates star Fred Sirieix.
Spendolini-Sirieix won the women’s 10m platform event at the British Diving Championships last month to confirm her place in the individual event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The 19-year-old diver won with a score of 363.7 points while Lois Toulson was second with 335.90 and Eden Cheng third on 327.75.
She told the BBC: “I’m elated. Thank you for all the support and I give glory to God.
“I just kept on pushing through that competition.”
There were two places up for grabs for Paris in each of the individual events as long as a diver won the event and achieved a pre-set points tally in both the preliminaries and final, which Spendolini-Sirieix did.
And her celebrity chef father tweeted: ” ‘Well done Andrea.’ Next stop #Paris2024.”
Asked on what her goal is for the games she said: “To enjoy myself! We’ll see what happens in Paris but I really just want to enjoy it.”
Alongside her success at the British champs, her teammate Jack Laugher is also in prime position for a Paris spot in the men’s 3m springboard after taking the British title.
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Three-time Olympic medallist Laugher finished fourth in the preliminary competition before surging ahead in the final.
Both stars have already been selected for Team GB’s synchro pairings at this summer’s games.
Rising star
Spendolini-Sirieix made her international debut in 2018 as a thirteen-year-old and won her first solo international gold medal at the 2020 FINA Diving Grand Prix.
That year, she was crowned BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
She made the cut in Team GB‘s Tokoyo 2020 squad – the diving team’s youngest star – and finished seventh in the 10m platform event.
But 2022 was her breakthrough year, becoming a World junior, two-time European senior, two-time Commonwealth Games and two-time national senior solo diving champion, and a World senior medalist in the team event.
And earlier this year she won the gold medal in the 2024 World Aquatics Championships team event.
Days later, she won a bronze medal in the 10m platform, the first world medal won by a British woman in an individual Olympic event.
Proud father
Fred was unable to watch his daughter at the last Olympics due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
But the Frenchman will be ecstatic to see his daughter take on the big stage in his home nation.
In October last year, he shared how determined Andrea is on Aimee Fuller’s Monday Mile podcast: “She’s got a will of iron, her mind is just incredible.”
Showing how he cheers her on, he added: “I’m always raising my arms like this.”
However, Sirieix said the pride is not always reciprocated, admitting that after a glass of wine, he “likes dancing on the tables,” adding: “My daughter is like: ‘Oh my God daddy, what are you doing?’”
Huge brand deals
It seems big brands are also following the diver as she’s been posting adverts for Lego on Instagram, and announced a deal with Adidas last year.
PR expert Cala Speight believes she could be a teen millionaire very soon thanks to deals.
She said: “She’s got a glittering future ahead of her and no doubt has it all mapped out.
“She’s standing on her own two feet and forging a successful career for herself, it’s only right that big brands are queuing up to work with her, and she’s set to earn millions.”
Not just Fred’s daughter
The teen confessed it “feels good” when fans recognise her for her own talents rather than for being the daughter of First Dates’ Fred.
She told PA in 2022: “It’s quite funny, I had an interaction with someone the other day. I was with my mum, and [a man] just stopped and just pointed at me and went, ‘Well done! Well done.’
“I didn’t know what to do. It feels a bit weird, because usually it’s my dad that’s recognised and I’m just there standing in the back.
“But to know that my name is out there, I’m not just someone’s daughter.
“I’m actually doing something on my own and my name is appearing… It feels good.”