A university student reported missing after failing to join her family on Christmas Day has been found safe and well.

Isabel Gayther, 21, was located at an address in north London on Thursday five days after a disappearance the Metropolitan Police described as "extremely out of character".

Except for messages sent from her Facebook account on December 27, she had not been seen or heard from since around 11.30am on Christmas Eve.

The messages claimed that she was safe. In all, the account posted three updates as well as discussing the disappearance with commenters on her wall.

“Am not on my way to Syria or being held hostage,” the account wrote in the first update. “Promise, it is lovely though that my name now comes up on The Sun. A day and half I’m out of contact and this is what happens??? I AM NOT MISSING peace.”

“Oh god how embarrassing, this is the second time my mum has filed a missing persons report, for a missing person I just keep coming back...errrr,” the account posted in one reply. “Now I look like a c***...a day and half tho that’s a bit extra,” another read.

The account also shared a link to a story from Psychology Today with the headline “Should You Divorce Your Mother?”

Officers had seen and spoken with Ms Gayther and were "satisfied that she is safe and well", Scotland Yard said.

Police in Lewisham had appealed for the public's help to trace the student, who lives in halls of residence in New Cross, south-east London.