Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston in the Hollywood biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody

IT was just one moment in time: a snap in Islington’s best-read local paper as students celebrated opening their exam results.

But 14 years after the Tribune’s picture spread of results day at City and Islington College, one of the beaming teenagers has an even more impressive reason to smile.

The college is cheering on former pupil Naomi Ackie, who has been nominated for a rising star award at this year’s Baftas for her stunning performance as Whitney Houston in Kasi Lemmons’ new biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Nana Brew, who heads performing and visual arts at the college, said: “Naomi studied for her A-levels at CANDI before I joined the college, but her teachers who were here tell me she was a hard-working and incredibly talented student.”

Ms Ackie appeared in the Tribune collecting her exam results at City and Islington College

She added: “Everyone at CANDI is hugely proud of what she has achieved in her acting career and will be cheering her on to win the Bafta.”

When she first appeared in the Tribune Ms Ackie was finding out her AS results in drama, English literature and textiles.

Now she is on tube posters and billboards all around the city, promoting her portrayal of one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

The 31-year-old landed her first big gig in an episode of Doctor Who in 2015 before securing a role in William Olroyd’s Lady Macbeth alongside Florence Pugh.

Acting credits in The End of the F***ing World, Star Wars and Small Axe were to follow, but her role as Houston is a new career high.

“To be recognised for my work in the country that I’ve grown up in is… a nod of encouragement to continue to create stories that speak to people,” she said of her Bafta nomination.

Superstar singer Whitney Houston who died in 2012

Born in neighbouring Camden, Ms Ackie was discovered by Hollywood producers after a 12-month search to find an actress capable of doing justice to Houston, who died in 2012 after a hit-laden career at the top of the charts.

Taking its title from Houston’s famous pop single, I Wanna Dance With Somebody is a traditional biopic tracing the singer’s rise from obscurity to international fame in the 1980s.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Ms Ackie said she had been “very reluctant at first to audition because it was too big for me, that’s what it felt like”.

She added: “The singing, luckily, Whitney does sing the majority of the film, but there is a little bit of singing from me too, to fill in some of the dramatic beats that were needed, and then during filming for the performances I would just sing along with Whitney.”

She said Houston had “the best voice in the world”, adding: “It was about singing as loud as I could, really engaging with when she took her breaths in the live performances and just making sure that at least it looked like her voice was coming out of my mouth.”