An A-level student from High Barnet overcame a debilitating eating disorder to achieve some of the top marks in her year and a place at Cambridge University.

Matilda Devall nearly died when at 13 years old she became severely unwell following a battle with anorexia.

Doctors were unsure if she would survive but after six weeks in hospital and a lengthy recovery process, the talented teenager was handed a fresh start at East Barnet School, in Chestnut Grove.

Since joining in year 8, Matilda has completely overcome the eating disorder that nearly killed her and this morning was “overwhelmed” when she picked up three A*.

The 18-year-old, of Salisbury Road, will now go on to study natural sciences at Cambridge University and is considering a career in medicine.

She said: “I wasn’t expecting it at all. It is just really overwhelming – it feels like a flood of emotions. You work so hard and put so much in and when you get the reward it’s incredible.

“I have been through a lot personally and I never saw myself getting to this point.

“I was really ill when I started here but the school has been incredible – I love it here. The staff are phenomenal – I wouldn’t have done this without them so I owe them a lot of thanks.

“The illness was a big part of my life – I was very aware of it all the time but now I don’t even connect it to myself – it is all in the past and I have moved on.

“It was all worth it to put my life on hold for weeks while I revised. It is kind of scary as we’re all moving on to the next stage now but at the moment I’m over the moon.”