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Topics: Celebrity, First Dates, News
Ali Condon
First Dates star Fred Sirieix was the picture of pride this week as he watched his daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix win the gold for England at the Commonwealth Games.
Yes, it turns out that, when he wasn't helping hopeless romantics find love, Fred was raising a champion diver – quite a busy lifestyle, if you ask us!
The 17-year-old secured the top spot in the 10m Platform diving final at the Sandwell Aquatic Centre in Birmingham on Thursday, 4 August, scoring a magnificent 357.50 points.
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While Andrea claimed victory at her first ever Commonwealth Games, her proud dad – the famous Channel 4 maître d' – cheered her on from the sidelines.
Andrea had been ahead of her fellow athletes from quite early on in the competition, and finished with a comfortable 20 points over her competitors.
Following behind her in second place was Andrea's England team-mate Lois Toulson, with a score of 337.30 points.
Meanwhile, it was Canadian diver Caeli Sierra McKay who took home the bronze.
Caught on camera during the nail-biting competition, Fred was clearly on the edge of his seat throughout, but could hardly contain himself when Andrea emerged from the water after her final dive.
The First Dates star was just as supportive online as he was from the crowd, documenting Andrea's big night on both Twitter and Instagram.
As Andrea stuck landing after landing, Fred tweeted his congratulations to his daughter, affectionately referring to her as 'mon caneton', meaning 'my duckling' in French.
When Andrea claimed the gold, Fred tweeted: "Thank you so much for all the messages congratulating Andrea. It’s really nice. Really warming. Thanks. I just want to apologise as I can’t respond to all. It’s very kind x"
He later added: "That last dive! To pull it off like that! Wow!!!! What a performance!"
Meanwhile, over on Instagram, Fred shared a series of videos and photos from Andrea's big night, congratulating both her and her coach on the win.
After her sensational win, Andrea said she felt as though her famous father was trying to hold back tears.
She said: "He gave me a thumbs up. I think he didn’t want to cry so he didn’t really say much but I think my parents were really, really happy for me.
"I had quite shaky calves for the last dive. I think that definitely helped with the push that I needed. But I’ve never had that much fun in a competition. I’ve got a hot chocolate waiting for me to celebrate."
This certainly isn't the last we'll see of Andrea, following her thrilling win. Having also taken home medals at the 2022 World Championships and the 2020 European Championships, there's no doubt that the teen has her sights set on the Olympic Games next.