Celebrity A-level results from Spice Girl swot to BBC star's 'biggest disappointment'

Celebrity A-level results from Spice Girl swot to BBC star's 'biggest disappointment' While some famous faces excelled at school, earning top grades and places at their first-choice universities, others didn't fare quite so well, but still went on to achieve extraordinary success Some of the world's biggest - and richest - stars didn't exactly excel in their A-levels - and some never even sat the exams at all. TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson famously ended up with a C and two Us, while at the other end of the spectrum, Harry Potter star Emma Watson matched her bookish on-screen counterpart Hermione Granger with outstanding results. As students across the country collect their A-level results today, we've rounded up the celebrities who aced their exams, alongside those who proved that disappointing grades don't have to stand in the way of huge success later on in life. Tom Daley Olympic diving legend Tom Daley has proved his talents extend far beyond the pool. Despite balancing an intense training schedule ahead of the Olympics, he still found time to study, taking his GCSEs in smaller batches to fit around his diving commitments. He went on to achieve an A* in Photography and As in both Spanish and Maths at A-level, collecting his results the year after winning bronze at the London 2012 Olympics. Reflecting on the moment in a video message, Tom described opening the email with his grades as "the most nerve-wracking thing ever". Delighted with the outcome, he added: "I never have to go to school ever again. I am kind of going to miss it but I mean I'm very happy to come away with straight As." Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Clarkson has become something of an A-level results day tradition, with fans eagerly waiting to see how he'll mark the occasion on social media each year. The former Top Gear presenter has never shied away from his own less-than-stellar results, famously leaving school with a C and two Us at A-level. Since 2014, he's posted annual messages reminding students that exam grades aren't everything. His first viral post read: "If your A-level results aren't joyous take comfort from the fact I got a C and two Us. And I have a Mercedes Benz." In the years since, Clarkson has continued the joke, telling followers he was spending results day relaxing in a St Tropez villa, aboard a superyacht, enjoying truffles prepared by a chef and deciding which of his Range Rovers to drive. Emma Watson Emma Watson was another child star who managed to balance life in the spotlight with academic success. While filming the hugely successful Harry Potter series, she still found time to study and excel in her exams. In 2008, the actress achieved straight As in English Literature, Geography and Art at A-level, living up to the studious reputation of her on-screen character, Hermione Granger. She later went on to study English Literature at the prestigious Brown University in the United States. Jon Snow Veteran broadcaster Jon Snow has spoken candidly about struggling with his A-levels. He achieved a C in English Language but failed Geography and Biology, prompting him to switch colleges before eventually securing a place to study Law at the University of Liverpool. Despite making it to university, Snow never completed his degree after being expelled for taking part in an anti-apartheid protest in 1970. Looking back on his school days, he has been refreshingly honest about his academic record, once saying: "I was really chuffed I got any A-levels at all, I was a complete dunderhead." Snow has also previously shared colourful stories from his sixth-form years, including being warned by a lecturer after a romance with a librarian led to them regularly disappearing during lunch breaks. Clare Balding BBC sports broadcaster Clare Balding's route to success wasn't a straightforward one. She has spoken openly about her 'biggest disappointment' when she underperformed in her A-levels, achieving and A in English but failing both History and Latin. She took two years out to resit her exams and improve her university interview skills. Her determination paid off, earning her a place at the prestigious University of Cambridge. "It's so extraordinary that I got into Cambridge. I got an A in my English A-level, but my grades in history and Latin were poor. I applied to Christ's College and was turned down. My father [Ian Balding, the Queen's former racehorse trainer] was very disappointed: he had got in with only O-levels!" she told the Independent. Balding has since gone on to become one of Britain's most respected sports presenters, fronting coverage of everything from Wimbledon to Royal Ascot and the Olympic Games. Deborah Meaden Deborah Meaden is living proof that academic qualifications aren't the only route to success. The Dragons' Den investor left school at 16 without taking A-levels, despite later being awarded three honorary degrees in recognition of her achievements. She launched her first business, a glass and ceramics import company, at just 19 before taking on the first British franchise for Italian fashion brand Stefanel. Since then, Meaden has built an impressive business empire and become one of the UK's best-known entrepreneurs. She has invested millions of pounds in hopeful entrepreneurs on Dragons' Den and is estimated to be worth around £40 million. Simon Cowell Simon Cowell may have built one of the biggest careers in the entertainment industry, but his academic record was far less impressive. The music mogul left school with just three O-Levels – the qualification that became known as GCSEs – and didn't bother with A-Levels, instead trying his hand at a string of entry-level jobs. One of those included working as a runner on the 1980 horror classic The Shining, before his father helped him secure a job in the mail room at EMI Music Publishing. After leaving and later returning to the company, Cowell began the career that would eventually make him one of television's most influential figures, proving that exam results aren't the only measure of future success. Richard Branson Sir Richard Branson is another high-profile success story who took a very different path. The Virgin founder left school at 16 without any A-Levels and went on to build a global business empire, with his fortune now estimated at around £3.6billion. Branson has long argued that exam results don't define a person's future. On A-level results day in 2016, he urged disappointed students not to lose hope, saying success is possible regardless of grades. "If you didn't get the results you were hoping for, don't despair," he wrote. "There is lots more to be learned from failure than success, and if you have the will to succeed, not having a paper with A, B or C written on it isn't going to hold you back." Geri Horner Before finding global fame with the Spice Girls, Geri Horner showed plenty of promise in the classroom. The singer, formerly known as Geri Halliwell, achieved an A in A-level English Language while studying at Camden School for Girls. Rather than heading to university, she pursued a series of jobs, including working as a nightclub dancer in Majorca and later as a glamour model. Her big break came when she joined the Spice Girls, who went on to become the best-selling female group of all time, cementing her place in pop music history. "I don't feel I achieved what I could have at school," she previously told the Guardian. "I was always slightly distracted. I did OK, but my focus wasn't there. Towards the end of my A-levels, I started to do well. Then life took me in a different direction."