SHE'S a drama student and modelling hopeful with a love of football who was able to combine all three when she appeared on hit TV show Soccer AM.

SHE'S a drama student and modelling hopeful with a love of football who was able to combine all three when she appeared on hit TV show Soccer AM.

Ipswich 20-year-old Rhiannon Maile couldn't believe her luck when she was chosen to play the role of the show's famous Soccerette.

The game-for-a-laugh Essex University drama and English Literature student, who previously studied performing arts at Suffolk College, even had to compete in an ice cream eating competition against a bloke with questionable eating habits but she took it all in her stride during her first TV appearance.

The former Stoke High School pupil, who lives with her mum Carol and brother Llawen, 16, in Glastonbury Close, said: “I just thought it would be a good experience. I auditioned for it about four months ago and then they just called up. They picked me and my boyfriend up on the Friday evening and drove us to London and then put us up in a five star hotel.

“It was a really good day.

“We had rehearsals in the morning and then on the show they showed some pictures of me and they asked about my drama at university.”

But it was her former job at Ipswich ice cream parlour I-Scream in St Peter's Street which caught the imagination of the show's producers and prompted the ice cream eating contest.

“It was all good fun,” she said.

“Everyone was really nice to me. They made me feel really comfortable. The presenter was new that day as well so everyone was nervous, which made me feel a bit better.”

Not only did the keen Ipswich Town fan have to appear on TV eating an ice cream as fast as possible but Miss Maile also had to pretend to be single to keep the predominantly male audience happy, she said.

“I had to break it to my boyfriend Damian that I had to be single. He said 'oh just go for it'.”

And after braving the male-dominated world of Soccer AM, Miss Maile, a sales assistant at Bay Trading in Tower Ramparts, said she had caught the TV bug.

“I'd like to go in for other auditions for programmes,” she said.

“I wanted to go on there just basically to get my face recognised because I would like to act.”

Are you making a bid for stardom? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Did you know?

“Interesting” fact that Rhiannon Maile told Soccer AM bosses: She can down a pint in one minute

Click here to watch Rhiannon on Soccer AMClick here to watch Rhiannon on Soccer AMClick here for Rhiannon's Soccerette web pageClick here for Rhiannon's Soccerette web page