Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix picked up a brilliant gold on her debut at the games
First Dates star Fred Sirieix was the picture of pride after his daughter won Commonwealth gold for England.
Best known for being the maître d’hôtel on ITV’s First Dates, the 50-year-old was in the crowd to watch as his daughter competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
On the first day of diving events at the games, Fred watched on as his daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix claimed a magnificent victory in the 10m platform event.
17 years old. Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix is ridiculous.#B2022 #CommonwealthGames pic.twitter.com/gq0bI07N4c
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 4, 2022
The 17-year-old topped the leaderboard after her six dives with a total score of 357.50 points, and her dad understandably couldn’t contain his joy and pride as he watched on from the stands at the Sandwell Aquatic Centre.
With a triumphant fist in the air, Fred was beaming in the crowd.
Fred cheered on from the sidelines as his daughter Andrew claimed Commonwealth gold (Getty)Having competed at the Tokyo Olympics last year, and been named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2020, gold on Andrea’s Commonwealth Games debut is the latest step on her journey to stardom.
Gold!
#commonwealthgames2022 #diving #10m #platform Well done mon
#goAndrea pic.twitter.com/SCwOkX69rL
— Fred Sirieix (@fredsirieix1) August 4, 2022
After her victory, Andrea told the BBC that the win was “crazy.”
She said: “It’s really important that you don’t put pressure on yourself, and you don’t say I’m going to win in the final, because you never know, it’s not always a given.
“But leading up to my final dive, I was actually shaking at the back of the board, I was really pumped and ready to go.
“I’m really happy with how it went. It’s crazy.”
"I might cry… I will cry."
This is what it means
Commonwealth GOLD for Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix.
Watch live on @BBCOne & @BBCiPlayer #BBCCWG pic.twitter.com/K03m5ODt37
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 4, 2022
It was a hugely successful day for England’s divers. Along with Andrea’s gold, Team England’s Eden Cheng and Lois Toulson won silver and bronze respectively in the 10m event.
And Jack Laugher claimed a third consecutive Commonwealth gold in the men’s 1m springboard, with teammate Lois Toulson winning silver.
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- Joe Lycett roasts government at Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
