INTERVIEW

Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix seems to have mastered the art of multitasking. The immensely talented twenty-year-old is trilingual, undertaking a degree in journalism and, might I add, a professional diver who represented Team GB at the Olympics this summer. Impressive, no? 

Despite her wealth of linguistic talent and sporting ability, Andrea is strikingly down-to-earth and good-humoured. Growing up in southeast London, she took up diving at the age of eight. Her mother, Alex Spendolini, is Italian, and her father, the French maître d'hôtel and television presenter Fred Sirieix. She tells me that growing up surrounded by their cultures played a massive part in her personal development. "Growing up I always felt a difference between me and my friends whose parents were British, with different opinions, beliefs and general take on life. At the very least, it widened my horizons and enabled me to speak French, Italian and English. Then, just growing up in London, I was exposed to so many cultures, which is something for which I am very grateful." 

She tells me that she will mostly speak to her parents in English unless she is in public, when she may switch to French or Italian. She jokes, "It's like your secret language in public. I love it."  

Andrea also recognises how her trilingual upbringing has helped her pick up other languages more easily, which she explains is helpful, especially when competing internationally. "I did Spanish when I went to school, and with my sport, there are so many people from so many different countries, and I can communicate with them. Instead of just speaking broken English, I try and speak their language, because I know how difficult it is to learn English. So, we help each other. I have many Spanish-speaking friends, so I speak in Spanish, and they speak in English; practising those things is nice." 

Andrea tells me she started her university degree the day before we interviewed her. She explains why she was so avid to study journalism at City, University of London. 

"I just want to use my brain again; however that is. With diving, I'm physically exerting energy, but I don't want to become dull as a person. Journalism allows me to think about life after sports, which is important to me. My parents always told me, 'You're not just a diver, or you're not just a student; you can be both.'"  

Andrea expands on this idea of identity. She recognises that a holistic approach to her identity is a healthy outlook. Andrea is a diver but also strives to be an academic. 

"I also feel like that comes from my Italian, French, and British identity, which helps you understand that your worth is not just put in one thing. I think education and knowledge are power. You get to formulate your own opinions. You get to delve deep into subjects that perhaps you wouldn't have studied if you didn't go to university or if you didn't do an extended education. Especially going to the Olympics at such a young age, the epitome of life is a gold medal, and then you receive it at a young age, and you're just like, 'right? So, if I've received the epitome of life, what else?'" 

Andrea tells me that a gold medal cannot be the be-all and end-all of her existence. She has had to unlearn this, as she realised this fixation was detrimental to her self-esteem and her mental health. For Andrea, a vocal Christian who uses her social media platforms to share insights on her spirituality, her sense of identity and worth is rooted in her faith. "The more I dove into the Word of God (the Bible), the more I realised it has nothing to do with my diving work. It's got everything to do with what's already been done by Christ. And then, when I delved deep into the foundations of my faith and God, it opened my eyes to how toxic my thinking was before. The way I thought before was that I could only be liked, I could only be enough, I could only be good if I got these things." But Andrea says her faith has turned her sense of self upside down. God does not work like that, she explains. For Andrea, God says, "You were enough before these things; you were enough before you were even born. It's another reason to give glory to God. It's not another reason to boast about yourself because, at the end of the day, you're very deceived if you think you are doing everything alone." I am struck by Andrea's humility. In addition to her faith in God, she credits her family for giving her these opportunities in life and her friends who help and encourage her.