Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix broke down in tears in an interview after she missed out on a second Olympic medal in Paris, as the teenage British diver spoke about her struggles with mental health.
Spendolini-Sirieix previously won bronze in the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving with partner Lois Toulson.
However, in the individual women’s 10m platform final she fell short of a medal.
But the 19-year-old left the event proud of her performance after she opened up on her struggles with mental health, saying “three years ago I didn’t even want to be alive”.
“Yeah, obviously it wasn’t the result I wanted but I’m not even upset with the competition. The girls [who won] were amazing. They did better than me today and it’s because they work really hard,” Spendolini-Sirieix said, speaking to the BBC in an emotional interview.
She added: “It wasn’t meant to be.
“I’m not even, genuinely I’m not even trying to be macho, I’m not upset with my performances, three years ago I didn’t even want to be alive.
“So today, I’m just happy that I’m alive, I’m breathing, I’ve got my family to support me.”
Spendolini-Sirieix is the daughter of First Dates host Fred Sirieix and Italian mum Alex Spendolini.
She added: “I’m so happy to be here, to be at the Olympic Games. It’s been a really long year and it doesn’t take away from my accomplishments this year and missing out on one medal doesn’t take away from who I am.”
Spendolini-Sirieix qualified for Tuesday’s final third and a strong opening dive saw her just outside the podium positions.
However, a poor second round saw her slip down the table after scoring 62.40 and she was seventh after the fourth round.
She finished strongly with 81.60 on her final dive, but had to settle for a sixth-placed finish.
China’s Quan Hongchan finished with gold in the individual event, her teammate Chen Yuxi took silver, with North Korea’s Kim Mi Rae finishing with bronze.
This isn’t the first time the diver has opened up about her struggles with mental health.
At the previous Olympics, aged just 16, she suffered from what was later identified as the “twisties” – where an athlete loses a sense of where they are in the air.
Fearing not performing to her best, she was left “struggling a lot in every section of life”, she told Olympics.com.
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The youngster subsequently went into her first ever Olympics worrying she would be “disappointing everyone” and in the aftermath of the games she considered quitting, she said.
In 2022 she began confiding in family, friends and coaches about her struggles with mental health.
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The year ended up becoming a breakthrough year for her, seeing her win double European gold, two Commonwealth titles, and a bronze medal at the World Championships.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
