Fred Sirieix has praised his daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix in an emotional Instagram post after she opened up about her mental health battles.
The 19-year-old Olympic diver won a bronze in the 10-meter synchronized diving last week but finished sixth on Tuesday for the second consecutive Olympics.
The Team GB diving star previously revealed how she struggled with anxiety following her debut at the Tokyo 2021 Games and almost quit the sport.
And although the diver was visibly upset by the result, her father Fred posted an emotional message on Instagram praising her.
In the post, she shared a video of her daughter’s dive before a photo of the two hugging afterward with the pair smiling at the camera.
Fred Sirieix has praised his daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix in an emotional Instagram post after she opened up about her battles with mental health.
The 19-year-old Olympic diver won a bronze in the 10-meter synchronized diving last week but finished sixth on Tuesday for the second consecutive Olympics.
In the post, she shared a video of her daughter’s dive before a photo of the two hugging afterward along with a heartfelt message of love and support.
The First Dates host shared a behind-the-scenes snap of Andrea addressing the cameras with his arm around her following her dive, as well as some family photos of him with his two children walking around Paris.
The famous maître ended his post with an old photo of him with Andrea on his shoulders when she was a little girl, clutching a handful of cotton candy.
The proud dad wrote in the caption: “Thank you for this amazing adventure and inspiration Andrea. What a beautiful moment! You and your brother are the best thing I’ve ever done and will ever do in my life #lavieestbelle.”
Andrea commented below the heartfelt tribute simply: ‘I love you.’
The Olympic high jumper fought back tears on Tuesday as she revealed her mental health battles in 2021 and why she’s grateful to be here now.
“Three years ago I didn’t even want to be alive, so today I’m happy to be alive, to be breathing and to have my family supporting me,” said the teenage Team GB star.
“After Tokyo, I had a really scary time. That’s why I value the view every morning, because my eyes have woken up and I have air in my lungs.
“I woke up this morning and the first thought I had was that I’m glad I woke up. It’s been that way for a long time.”
The First Dates host shared a behind-the-scenes snap of Andrea addressing the cameras with his arm around her after her dive, where he told her how proud he was.
Fred also shared a family photo of himself with his two children walking around Paris and enjoying the Olympic village with Andrea dressed in her Team GB uniform.
After her event, Andrea was comforted by her father and mother Alessandra in the stands.
In front of the cameras, Fred consoled his daughter and told her: “It’s sport. Some days you win and some days you lose. And yesterday you did brilliantly.”
Andrea paid tribute to her parents, telling reporters she was glad they were poolside to support her.
She said: ‘In that time, I stayed very close to my family and that’s why it means everything to them to be here because they’ve seen me at my worst and now they’ve seen me compete at the Olympics.
“That’s all I really wanted.”
Andrea had hoped to win a second medal in her individual event, having been a world bronze medallist, but she never recovered from a poor second jump, with China’s Hongchan Quan retaining her title.
“Not having won a medal today does not take away from the medal I have received or the achievements I have made during the three years since Tokyo,” Andrea added.
“I feel like I have grown as a human being, not just as an athlete, and that is the most valuable thing that diving has given me.”
“You did the best you could, Andrea,” the father said, before hugging his daughter.
Team GB star Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix during the women’s 10m platform final
First Dates star Fred told the BBC today how “proud” he was of his “little girl” after he and her mother Alessandra comforted her in the stands.
He said: ‘What I love about my daughter is her positivity. She didn’t make it to the podium today, tonight (Tuesday) she’ll have a quiet night and tomorrow (Wednesday) she’ll be back to happy, smiling Andrea. Just enjoying life, enjoying Paris and enjoying the moment.
“That’s Andrea, and it’s beautiful because it’s about balance, knowing who you are and making the most of life, and that’s what she’s doing. So I’m very happy for her.”
