diff --git a/include/wx/xrc/xh_sizer.h b/include/wx/xrc/xh_sizer.h
index 648b22f57c..594106ac87 100644
--- a/include/wx/xrc/xh_sizer.h
+++ b/include/wx/xrc/xh_sizer.h
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ private:
     bool ValidateGridSizerChildren();
     void SetFlexibleMode(wxFlexGridSizer* fsizer);
     void SetGrowables(wxFlexGridSizer* fsizer, const wxChar* param, bool rows);
-    wxGBPosition GetGBPos(const wxString& param);
-    wxGBSpan GetGBSpan(const wxString& param);
+    wxGBPosition GetGBPos();
+    wxGBSpan GetGBSpan();
     wxSizerItem* MakeSizerItem();
     void SetSizerItemAttributes(wxSizerItem* sitem);
     void AddSizerItem(wxSizerItem* sitem);
diff --git a/src/xrc/xh_sizer.cpp b/src/xrc/xh_sizer.cpp
index 4c38078acc..8a91eb91e9 100644
--- a/src/xrc/xh_sizer.cpp
+++ b/src/xrc/xh_sizer.cpp
@@ -512,17 +512,17 @@ void wxSizerXmlHandler::SetGrowables(wxFlexGridSizer* sizer,
 }
 
 
-wxGBPosition wxSizerXmlHandler::GetGBPos(const wxString& param)
+wxGBPosition wxSizerXmlHandler::GetGBPos()
 {
-    wxSize sz = GetPairInts(param);
+    wxSize sz = GetPairInts(wxS("cellpos"));
     if (sz.x < 0) sz.x = 0;
     if (sz.y < 0) sz.y = 0;
     return wxGBPosition(sz.x, sz.y);
 }
 
-wxGBSpan wxSizerXmlHandler::GetGBSpan(const wxString& param)
+wxGBSpan wxSizerXmlHandler::GetGBSpan()
 {
-    wxSize sz = GetPairInts(param);
+    wxSize sz = GetPairInts(wxS("cellspan"));
     if (sz.x < 1) sz.x = 1;
     if (sz.y < 1) sz.y = 1;
     return wxGBSpan(sz.x, sz.y);
@@ -863,8 +863,8 @@ void wxSizerXmlHandler::SetSizerItemAttributes(wxSizerItem* sitem)
     if (m_isGBS)
     {
         wxGBSizerItem* gbsitem = (wxGBSizerItem*)sitem;
-        gbsitem->SetPos(GetGBPos(wxT("cellpos")));
-        gbsitem->SetSpan(GetGBSpan(wxT("cellspan")));
+        gbsitem->SetPos(GetGBPos());
+        gbsitem->SetSpan(GetGBSpan());
     }
 
     // record the id of the item, if any, for use by XRCSIZERITEM()