Theo's girlfriend to miss dad's mayor-making ceremony » Local Government » 24dash.com

The girlfriend of young England star Theo Walcott is to miss her father being made a council mayor in favour of watching her boyfriend train in Portugal.

The father of Mel Slade, councillor John Slade, is to be the centre of attention at Southampton City Council's mayor-making ceremony on Wednesday.

But the 17-year-old will not be attending the civic function at Southampton Guildhall as she is jetting off to Portugal to acccompany Walcott during a week of light training ahead of the World Cup.

Mr Slade said: "I am disappointed but at the moment the pressure is on her.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for me but it is also a once-in-a-lifetime event for her as well, it is a wonderful experience for her.

"Mayor-making is a relatively minor event compared to training for the World Cup. It's a wonderful opportunity for her."

Mr Slade added that his family had been caught in a "whirlwind" of media attention since Walcott was named for the England squad.

He said: "It is putting a lot of pressure on us but I think we can handle it, we are a tight-knit family.

"We are just delighted for Theo. He is a great talent and this will all increase when he starts scoring goals for them."

The rest of Mr Slade's family, including wife Sheila and three other children Steven, 24, Sarah, 22, and Emma, 19, are expected to attend the ceremony.

Mr Slade is currently the 568th Sheriff of Southampton but will be handing this title on when he is made mayor on Wednesday.

Miss Slade will be spending 48 hours with the Arsenal striker, who will have four days in Portugal with the rest of the England squad.

A Football Association spokesman said the trip was aimed at giving the players some time to recuperate after the football season before more intensive training begins next week.

He said: "Mel is being flown out to help Theo relax during his time in Portugal.

"As in previous tournaments, we have taken the players away to recuperate with their families after a long season and after that they will build up their training.

"They will be training as well but there will be no media opportunities as the main intention is to allow them to rest and have a break."

Miss Slade was thrown into the media spotlight last week after her boyfriend of nine months was picked for Sven-Goran Eriksson's provisional 23-man squad for the World Cup in Germany.

The teenager, who wants to be a physiotherapist and has been sitting her AS-level exams, met Walcott while he played for Southampton in the Coca-Cola Championship before his move to Arsenal in a £12 million deal.

They met while Walcott was shopping in Southampton and spotted Miss Slade working in a shop.

Copyright Press Association 2006.