Katrina Hodge "Combat Barbie" Miss England Finals

A female squaddie who fought off a suspected Iraqi insurgent has swapped guns for glamour and won a place in the final of Miss England 2008.

Katrina Hodge, 21, dubbed 'Combat Barbie' after being honoured for saving the lives of members of her regiment, will represent England at Miss World 2008 if she wins in July.

She wants to use her place in the Miss England competition to highlight the work of the Armed Forces.

Ms Hodge was given a bravery commendation in 2005 after members of her regiment were threatened at gunpoint by a suspected Iraqi insurgent after the vehicle they were travelling in overturned.

She said: 'I was in complete shock at first. The force of the accident caused our vehicle to roll over three times and threw us off guard.

'As I came round, the Iraqi suspect was standing over us with the rifles. I knew if I didn't act fast then our lives would be in danger. I punched him and the force startled him enough for me to retrieve the rifles from him.'

Ms Hodge, a military clerk with The Adjutant General's Corps, has already won the Miss Tunbridge Wells crown.

She said: 'I was delighted to have been selected for the Miss England final and it is a great honour.

'Being a part-time model and a serving soldier is certainly a world apart.

2008 MISS ENGLAND CONTESTANTS

Size 16 teenage beauty queen Chloe Marshall today met her contenders for the annual Miss England competition.


Chloe said reaction has been mainly positive, but she admitted in an interview with Hello magazine, that there had been some snide remarks with one writer accusing her of "promoting obesity".

Chloe told Hello: "I'm a size 16, I eat well, I exercise regularly – I jog, swim, and work out with weights.

"What I am promoting is a healthy girl who looks after herself and doesn't try to force her body to be something its not."

The teenager, who has been signed up by the Models Plus agency, added: "Everybody thinks you have to be a tall, slim blonde and I'm a curvy brunette.

"I want to show it is possible to be beautiful and not a standard size zero."

"The reaction I've had is great. Other girls have told me I have really boosted their confidence, which is terrific."

"I wanted to make a bit of a statement. When I studied the other entrants for the Miss Surrey competition I concluded that pretty as the contestants were, they were equally all uniformly blonde and Barbie doll like.

"My mum is really happy and proud of me that I am doing something not just for myself but other people as well and my friends are really supportive, they can't stop going on about it."

CHLOE MARSHALL - PLUS SIZE (16) BEAUTY

Chloe Marshall has recently won the Miss Surrey 2008 beauty pageant. She will now advance to the Miss England contest, which is open to females age 17-24. She will be eligible to enter photographic contests around the country. The winner of Miss England will go on to the Miss World Final.

The Sun did an interview with the vivacious teen recently. She said:

I wanted to go through to the Miss England finals to break the stereotype that you have to be tall and skinny to be considered beautiful. I wanted to make a bit of a statement. When I studied the other entrants for the competition I concluded that, pretty as they were, they were all uniformly blonde and Barbie doll-like. I want to show girls out there that it is possible to be beautiful and not a standard size zero.

The 5′10″ and 38DD is sweet 16 (will be 17 in time for the pageant) and is also a size 16. She has signed on with Models Plus agency. According to their spokesman, models who reflect real women are desperately needed. The pictures we have included with this article depict a curvy, healthy young woman. This will be in stark contrast to the super skinny young woman who will also be running for the Miss England crown.