First Dates star Fred Sirieix is part of the BBC’s commentary team for the Paris Olympics but he’s not the only one of his family in the limelight.
His daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix is representing Team GB in the diving team but who is she?
Although Sirieix is part of the coverage team for the Games, he has previously said he won’t be commentating while his daughter dives in her heat.
In an interview with Radio Times, he said he would be “too nervous” to commentate on air during her event.
He said: “I’ll be at the pool, watching Andrea, not working, I don’t want to comment on my daughter diving. It’s too close to my heart.
“I’ll be speaking and commentating post-event, when everything’s done. I want to enjoy it. Regardless of what happens, there will be tears.”
Who is Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix?
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix was just 16 when she reached the 10m platform final on her Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo.
She has since secured individual 2022 Commonwealth and European titles and a bronze this year that made her the first British woman in world diving championships history to secure a medal in an individual Olympic event.
The Olympic diver said she will use her newfound courage to call out anyone who objectifies an athlete for simply wearing their uniform.
The soon-to-be journalism student has also written candidly about what was once a destructive relationship with food and body image, one she says has got “a lot better” after shedding internalised stereotypes and embracing self-acceptance.
“I feel like now I’m a lot braver to actually call it out, but I’ve had DMs which I’ve blocked and deleted messages where people have (said) ‘You aren’t a good role model for the way you wear your costume’,” Spendolini-Sirieix told the PA news agency.
“The fact that I’m throwing myself over 10 metres should be enough to start a conversation. If you’re honing in on my costume, it’s very telling about how you’ve conditioned your mind.
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“When I see volleyball players (or) people in my sport who are overly sexualised, I kind of feel disgusted by that.
“We’ve dedicated our lives to this. We’re not doing this so you can tell us we look good. We know we look good! We work for these bodies.
“People need to wake up. We can’t change our costumes, but they can change the way that they think.”
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