Walcott weds childhood sweetheart

Arsenal star Theo Walcott beamed as he tied the knot with childhood sweetheart Melanie Slade and said the marriage was “everything I could have wanted”.

The pair staged their wedding at Castello di Vincigliata, near Florence in Italy last week – a castle location Walcott which had tattooed on his arm to remember the day.

In an interview with Hello! magazine, which is also publishing the pictures of the wedding, he said: “It’s fantastic to be able to finally call Melanie my wife.”

The England star went on: “Now we’re excited to see what the future holds for us.

“I don’t think marriage will change our relationship – I hope not anyway, as it was already everything I could have wanted.”

His new bride said the best part of the day was walking down the aisle to her groom.

“That moment when I saw Theo waiting for me at the altar was so overwhelming. Your emotions are all over the place – you’re so excited and euphoric because you’re marrying this person who you love so much, but there are some nerves there too because it’s such a big step.”

:: The full interview is in the new edition of Hello! which is out now.