A GATHERING of photographers and reporters awaited students as they arrived at Itchen College in Southampton for their results.

Once again the attraction was pupil Melanie Slade, girlfriend of Arsenal and former Saints player Theo Walcott, who shot to fame as part of the England World Cup squad.

Yesterday the youngest member of the footballer's wives and girlfriends (WAGs) club was just another pupil eager to find out her grades.

Melanie, 18, gained two A-levels, a B in psychology and a C in biology, and a B in a free-standing maths qualification.

She said: "I did find them really hard and had a lot of distraction over the last two years so I'm really pleased."

Melanie, who said she doesn't conisder herself a WAG, added: "It's been fun hanging out with my friends and concentrating on college."

She now plans to take a gap year, when she will climb Kilimanjaro in Tanzania for charity, "do other charity stuff, have some fun and travel".

She then hopes to get a place at St George's Hospital in London to study physiotherapy.

Melanie will be heading to London today with her pals to celebrate.

Principal Barry Hicks, who said he was proud of all his students, said: "I have been impressed by Mel's desire to stay focussed on her education and personal career development. It would have been so easy for her to have lost this focus."

Among the others collecting results were 18-year-old twins Lizzie and Gemma Thompson, who gained eight A-levels between them, and Mark Thompson, 18, who won a place to read law at Oxford with four straight As.

Itchen College's centenary year could not have come to a better close as it recorded a record A to E pass rate of 96.2 per cent, a rise for the second year running.

Staff were also pleased to see 62.2 per cent achieving grades A to C.