Free Republic

Katrina Hodge was crowned Miss England over a decade ago while she was a serving Army soldier - now she wants to make a triumphant return to the world of beauty pageantsEx-soldier Katrina Hodge is shooting for glory in a beauty pageant again – more than a decade after being crowned Miss England. The mum of two, now 33, earned the nickname Combat Barbie when she won the title in 2009 while still serving in the Army. But she now wants to return in the Ms Great Britain contest to boost her own confidence and encourage body positivity in over-30s....

A former Miss England has traded in her tiara and sash for a rifle and fatigues as she prepares for her combat duty deployment to war-torn Afghanistan. Corporal Katrina Hodge -- dubbed "Combat Barbie" -- joined the British armed forces when she was just 17 and has been decorated for her bravery in the past when British soldiers were based in Basra, Iraq. "I’m not going to lie, it was hard to come back," Hodge told London's Daily Mail newspaper. "It’s definitely a change of lifestyle from having your hair and make-up done every day to being in your combats...

Katrina Hodge is a British soldier who has been affectionately given the name of Combat Barbie. Hodge is also a Miss England beauty pageant finalist not to mention a combat veteran. Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge was nicknamed Combat Barbie in 2005 after being given a bravery commendation for saving the lives of members of her regiment in Iraq. Read about it here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7503061.stm Hodge is also a part-time model who has made the final cut for the title of Miss England. Hodge, 21, will participate in the contest on July 18, having already won the Miss Tunbridge Wells crown.