Fred Sirieix on Olympian daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix: "She's in with a real chance of a medal"

"Life is like a pie. There are many slices, and if you have just one big slice, which is diving – if, God forbid, you get injured, then that’s all you have," he told her.

"You can dive, we’ll take you left, right and centre. But you’ve got to dedicate just as much time to school."

The hard work, both at the pool and in the classroom, has paid off for Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix. Fred’s duckling – "mon caneton", "mon bébé", he coos – is now in Paris, aged 19, with a real chance of securing an Olympic medal.

Sirieix, who moved to the UK at the age of 20, has been unveiled as a BBC studio guest for the Games. Will discussing his daughter’s dive in front of millions of viewers feel awkward?

"I'll be at the pool, watching Andrea, not working," he says, sipping a cappuccino. "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."

A Commonwealth and European champion, World Championship silver medallist in 2023 and team gold medallist in 2024, Andrea could become the first female British diver to make the Olympic podium since 1960. "She’s in with a real chance of a medal. She’s in the shape and form of her life,” Sirieix says. "She is dedicated to the sport."

Andrea’s diving career began with a stroke of luck. When she was eight, Crystal Palace Diving Club came to a talent-spotting day at her primary school in south-east London, putting pupils through their paces with some flexibility and strength exercises.

"She was a sporty little girl, and they said, 'You’re doing great. Do you want to come for a trial?' So she went and she loved it. Who doesn’t like jumping into a pool? I do, and I’m 52!"

Her success was rapid. Last year, she and Lois Toulson made history by winning Britain’s first World Championship medal in a women’s event, taking silver in the 10-metre synchro. In 2022, she won European gold. In 2021, when Andrea was just 16, she was the youngest member of the Team GB diving team in Tokyo, and came seventh in the 10m platform final on her Olympic debut.

"She was competing and winning in competitions from the age of 12 and 13, becoming British champion when she was 15," Sirieix says. "Nobody saw her coming. She beat girls who were 18, 19, 20."

It has, the I’m a Celebrity… contestant admits, "been quite a rollercoaster" when you’ve "suddenly got an athlete in your house – somebody who thinks and breathes like a champion". "All they [divers] think about is diving, and they want to win."

Are there any downsides? "If you want her to go on holiday or away for a weekend, it’s not going to happen because she’s training. You say, 'Just one day?' No, she can’t! But I understand. I don’t insist. It’s something I tried at the beginning, but even then, she was fully dedicated."

Andrea has paid tribute to her parents – the couple have separated and Sirieix lives with his fiancée – for "dropping everything for my sport", and described her mum as her superhero.

Sirieix dismisses the idea that he made sacrifices for his daughter to pursue her dream. "If you have to get up early and take them diving, that’s what you do. I don’t think it’s a sacrifice at all," he says.

"If somebody deserves a medal, it’s her little brother, who was dragged to the pool, sitting in the stands to watch his iPad, or play with other kids he didn’t know. He’s the real hero of the story. But Mum and Dad, they don’t deserve a medal. This is what parents do. You look after your kids, give them all the opportunities you can."

Not every parent, however, flings themselves off a 10-metre board "to see what it was like"... albeit feet-first instead of head-first.

"I was black and blue," Sirieix recalls of the experience in 2021. "My legs, my bum… completely bruised. I’m not going to do it again unless somebody pays me!

"Andrea was on the ground, shouting, 'Daddy, you’ve got to relax, stop being scared. I can see your heart beating in your chest!' I felt my heart just pumping like this," he gesticulates extravagantly. "It was so scary."

A year later, Andrea herself developed a "fear of diving" – a mental block that made her scared of taking on even the easiest of dives - and she was close to quitting. Sirieix says the family responded with "support and love". "There was no pressure, no expectations."

Having "spent weekends in clubs, drinking with my mates" when he was his daughter’s age, Sirieix is passionate about the benefits sports can bring – "focus, resilience, and having a goal".

"There are lots of kids missing out," he says. "How are we going to give more opportunities to our kids? Were Andrea not at that school and that talent-spotting day hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t be where she is."

And that’s a long way from the days when he took Andrea to nursery in a Cinderella or Snow White dress, almost every day. "She said, 'I want to wear that, Daddy.' I used to dress her up like that! The woman at the nursery was rolling her eyes… But she was three years old. When is she going to do that again? That was a beautiful memory."

Sirieix has lived in the UK for 32 years, longer than he lived in France. His book, Seriously British, to be published in September, is described as a love letter to Britain. So, will his loyalties be torn in Paris?

"I'm not officially British, but I feel British," he says. "I will be supporting Team GB. Obviously, I’m a bit biased, because my daughter is part of Team GB, and I’ve met many of the athletes.

"But I’m also proud to go back to my home country and showcase France to the Brits. I hope the French put a Games on that are just as good as the Brits did in 2012. I was in the stadium during the Opening Ceremony, and I felt so proud."

Sirieix had been to see Andrea and Lois practising the day before our chat. "Their synchronisation was really good," he says. "Andrea’s diving has gone up a notch. It’s beautiful because I have seen the evolution over the years, and now it’s the best I’ve seen. The quality and consistency of the dives is incredible."

But he says Andrea knows winning isn’t everything: "When she wins, she commiserates with the losers, but, in the end, she celebrates. When she loses, she says well done to the winners, and she has a little cry. And an hour later, that’s it. It’s gone.

"That is the spirit of the Olympics. Pierre de Coubertin, when he restarted them, said, 'What’s important is taking part.' You’ve got to enjoy it, and she’s really enjoying it." It’s safe to say that her father is, too.

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