First Dates star Fred Sirieix’s daughter Andrea breaks down in tears after Team GB diver wins medal at Paris Olympics
DIVING STAR Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix broke down in tears as she made her celebrity dad proud with bronze in Paris – thanks to a superb final dive.
The London-based teenager and partner Lois Toulson hugged each other and could not contain their emotions as they finished in third place in dramatic fashion in the women’s synchronised 10 metres platform.
GettyAndrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson won bronze in Paris[/caption]
PAThe claimed bronze after saving their best dive until last[/caption]
AFPThey were emotional following the achievement[/caption]
And broke down in tears after getting the medal
RexBut they were tears of joy with Toulson[/caption]
RexFred Sirieix was over the moon too[/caption]
ReutersThey were third behind China and North Korea[/caption]
APIt was Team GB’s third medal in diving[/caption]
The pair had been in second place after round two but a disappointing third dive saw them tumble down the standings of this eight-nation event.
Coming into the fifth and final round at the Aquatics Centre near the Stade de France a spot on the lower step of the podium became a battle between them and Canada.
And the Brits delivered under pressure with their most complex routine – while the Canadian duo of Caeli McKay and Kate Miller bungled up their final manoeuvre.
They have emulated the bronze secured by Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen in the women’s three-metre synchro springboard – Team GB’s first medal of these Games.
Chinese couple Chen Yuzi and Quan Hongchan were the runaway leaders with 359.10 points while North Korea’s Jin Mi Jo and Mi Rae Kim were second with 315.90 points.
A team from China has succeeded in this event at every Games since its introduction for women in 2000 — that means SEVEN Olympic gold medals in a row.
Fred Sirieix was in the stands of the arena in a northern suburb of Paris and was unsurprisingly chuffed with his daughter’s excellent exploits.
Sirieix, 52, became famous as a maître d’hôtel on the popular Channel 4’s First Dates show and then featured in an ITV Road Trip show with Gordon Ramsay and Gino D’Acampo.
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Wearing a blue suit, Sirieix is part of the media pack as a roving reporter for the BBC and he could not hide his joy.
Spendolini-Sirieix, 19, finished seventh in the final of the individual 10 metres platform in Tokyo three years ago.
Yet she admitted to SunSport that she struggled mentally to cope with the Covid-restricted event and the fact her family were not poolside.
Huddersfield-born Toulson, 24, goes out with fellow diver Jack Laugher, who posted racy and sometimes seedy photos on OnlyFans for money.
Flagbearer Tom Daley won silver in the men’s event with Noah Williams, with China once again infallible.
Speaking to SunSport last week, Spendolini-Sirieix said: “At the beginning, all I got was that I was Fred’s daughter. I wasn’t Andrea.
“Then people realised, she’s more than just someone’s daughter, she has a lot more to say.
“I feel like that has helped me come out of this shadow. I’m really proud of my dad. And he does incredible things. But I want to build my own legacy.
“Also for my children in the future. I don’t want them to just be someone’s daughter or someone’s son. I want them to be their own person.
“I’m being recognised for the achievements that I have, not just from being 50 per cent of someone’s DNA.
“It’s been a progression since Tokyo. I’ve grown into the woman that I am today. Everything has progressed and it’s so nice to have my own identity.”
RexFlagbearer Tom Daley also watched from the stands after claiming silver in the men’s 10m platform[/caption]
