A schoolgirl from Watford will dance her way to a prestigious ballet school in Russia on Sunday after achieving eight A*s and four As in her GCSEs.

Watford Grammar School pupil Natalie Carter, 16, will take up her place at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow after collecting her GCSE results today.

Natalie, one of Britain's brightest young ballet stars said she was "over the moon" with her results.

She said: "I am very happy and excited."

Natalie is the second British girl to go to the prestigious school and was selected after impressing a “talent scout” with a performance with the Gypsy Booth College and School of Theatre Arts at Easter.

Following her arrival in Moscow she will face intensive Russian lessons and ballet classes to bring her up to the school's extremely high standards.

Natalie, from Belgrave Avenue, started dancing with the Gypsy Booth School when she was seven and two years later progressed to ballet.

She was encouraged to apply for the Bolshoi after impressing Svetlana Adyrkhaeva, a former principal dancer for the Bolshoi, during a visit in September last year.

And though her friends will be studying their A-Levels, Natalie is looking forward to leaving school work behind.

“Over the past few years I've really enjoyed dance as a sport more than a hobby,” she said.

“I enjoy the sport more than sitting behind a desk doing written work.”