Teenage diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix burst into tears today after painfully missing out on a second Olympic medal, before speaking courageously about her recovery from personal problems.
The 19-year-old revealed she “didn’t want to be alive three years ago” in a heartbreaking interview moments after She finished sixth in the women’s 10m platform final.
It happened six days after her host father Fred, who was on the podium at First Dates, burst into tears of pride when she and Lois Toulson won bronze in the 10m synchro.
Spendolini-Sirieix was moved to tears immediately after today’s performance as she told the BBC: ‘It obviously wasn’t the result I wanted but I’m not angry with the competition either – the girls did a fantastic dive.
“They did better than me today and that’s because they work really hard. It wasn’t the intention. I’m really not trying to be macho or anything – I’m not angry about my performance.
A tearful Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix bravely admits she ‘didn’t want to be alive three years ago’, just moments after painfully missing out on a medal in the women’s 10m platform final
The Team GB star choked back tears after her brave performance in the 10m platform final
Fred Sirieix, presenter of First Dates, pictured last month, was presented for his daughter’s dives
Tearful Team GB star gets a big hug from her coach after missing out on a medal
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‘Three years ago I didn’t want to live at all, but now I’m happy to be alive, to be breathing and to have my family who supports me.’
She added: ‘My mother said, ‘Just keep smiling – we love you. We’re here to see you.’ Ultimately, that’s all I can ask for. ‘I just want to see them.’
First Dates star Fred told the BBC today how ‘proud’ he was of his ‘little girl’.
He said: ‘What I love about my daughter is her positivity. Today she didn’t make it to the podium, tonight she’s going to have a quiet evening and tomorrow she’ll be the happy, smiling Andrea again. Just enjoying life, enjoying Paris and enjoying the moment.
“That’s Andrea – and that’s beautiful, because it’s about balance. It’s about knowing who you are and making the most of life, and that’s what she’s doing. So I’m really happy for her.”
He admitted that Andrea and her family were “disappointed” but added: “You know, this is sport. I told you before the game started this is brutal and this is what happens – unfortunately it wasn’t her day.
“She didn’t dive like she can, like she did yesterday. It was an off day, she was tired from yesterday. No excuses, it’s just the way it is.
“It is what it is. She’s had a great year. She dives well. She made a few mistakes and she got caught and she couldn’t make up the deficit.
“But I’m proud of my little girl. She came here, she came to Paris for the Olympics and she got a medal.”
And Spendolini-Sirieix insisted: ‘I’m so happy to be here, to be at the Olympics. It’s been a very long year and that doesn’t take anything away from my achievements.’
Spendolini-Sirieix blows a kiss to her loved ones in the stands of the swimming centre
Spendolini-Sirieix missed out on a medal in the women’s 10m platform final
The 19-year-old, daughter of First Dates presenter Fred, started off promisingly
But the British star dropped down the rankings over the five rounds on Tuesday afternoon
The diver, a devout Christian, said: ‘Missing one medal doesn’t change who I am, so it’s just God’s way of saying we’ve got a lot more to do. I just give God all the glory.’
Earlier at the Olympic Games in Paris, the British star won bronze in the women’s 10m synchronised diving event, but on Tuesday she narrowly missed out on her second medal.
The 19-year-old started off promisingly, scoring 76.80 on her first dive, which quickly moved her up to fourth place in the rankings.
However, in the next three rounds, Spendolini-Sirieix dropped down the rankings, leaving the teenager out of the medal count.
She scored 62.40, 64.50 and 60.20 in the second through fourth rounds before closing with a brilliant – and best dive – of 81.60, giving her a total score of 345.50.
Spendolini-Sirieix captured the hearts of the nation last week when she won a stunning bronze medal, with her famous father being ‘deeply proud’ in an interview after the event.
Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson, 24, made a stunning dive on the final lap to take the final podium spot after dropping down the leaderboard following a sub-par third dive.
It looked like they were out of the running for a medal, but they recovered impressively to take bronze. Sirieix was happy for the pair as he spoke to his daughter live on BBC after they shared a hug.
Spendolini-Sirieix, 19, (right) and Lois Toulson, 24, (left) previously won bronze at the Games
Andrea (second from right) is the daughter of First Dates presenter Fred Sirieix (right)
“What a competition! It’s always a rollercoaster with you girls,” Sirieix said, eliciting a giggle from the GB pair.
“You really took me around the bend and through the middle. But that last dive, that was spectacular. You knew you had to push through and you pulled it back. It was amazing.
“I’m impressed with what they’ve achieved. It’s been a great journey for them, they’ve won a medal, they’ve shown their class. I’m just very impressed and very happy for you. I’m so proud, I’m bursting.”