A mother has spoken of her pride at her soldier daughter getting called-up to represent England at the Miss World contest.
Corporal Katrina Hodge, dubbed Combat Barbie by Army colleagues, has stepped in at the last minute to take part in the prestigious beauty queen competition being held in South Africa this year.
The recently promoted non-commissioned officer, 22, from Tunbridge Wells, came runner-up in the Miss England contest earlier this year.
But the winner Rachel Christie, 21, the niece of former sprint champion Linford Christie, decided to relinquish her title this week following her arrest over an alleged nightclub brawl in Manchester.
This has propelled Cpl Hodge into the limelight as the new Miss England.
She has been given five weeks leave from her duties by Army chiefs to represent her country in the Miss World contest.
This left her with only 24 hours to buy clothes and pack before flying out to Johannesburg on Monday.
She will spend the next month taking part in promotional events and rehearsals before the finals of the beauty contest on December 12.
But her mum Ann Hodge, speaking exclusively to this paper, said her daughter will take it all in her stride.
She said: “I think she can win it, she is very confident and outgoing, so she has to have a chance.
“I will be thinking of her and keeping my fingers crossed.
“It has been like a whirlwind since she found out she would be going to Miss World. Her feet have not touched the ground, but she will handle it.”
Mrs Hodge, 54, from Tunbridge Wells, said she was stunned when her daughter told her she had been crowned Miss England and would be going to the Miss World finals.
She said: “I was shocked to say the least, I really could not say anything.
“Now that it has sunk in I am really proud of her. She is doing a very responsible job and making a success of her modeling as well.
“She never ceases to surprise me, I never know what she is going to do next, but she is an incredible person.”
The mum said this has been the case since Cpl Hodge was at school. After attending St John’s Primary School in Tunbridge Wells she went to Hillview School in Tonbridge.
Aged 16 she went to the Brits School of Performing Arts in Croydon, south London, to pursue her passion of musical theatre.
But just a year later she left the Brits school, aged 17 and four months, to join the Army, having never expressed an interest in military life before.
Mrs Hodge said: “I think one of her friends told her about life in the Army. The friend said to her ‘you could not do that sort of thing’.
“Katrina told her she could and then had an interview with the Army days later.
“I was totally shocked as it came out of the blue and was totally different to what she had been hoping to do with her life.
“But from day one she really took to the Army life. The modelling is a hobby but she loves life in the Army.”
Her military service has seen her given a bravery award by her unit in the Royal Anglian Regiment for her actions during a posting in Basra, Iraq.
This earned her the nickname Combat Barbie from fellow troopers.
Cpl Hodge had been due to be sent out to Afghanistan with her unit, but now plans to return to the frontline with her comrades after stepping down as Miss England next July.
She told a national newspaper: “It is something I want to do. People just do not appreciate the Army enough.”
But she is hoping being different will help her win Miss World, saying: “I hope it bodes well that I am seen as a more natural beauty.”
Her mum added: “Katrina is not a professional model like the other contestants but she is a wonderful person.
“It is a once in a lifetime experience and she told me she is going to make the most of it.”
*Miss Christie decided to bow out of the Miss World contest to focus on clearing her name to allow her to pursue her dream of winning a medal in the heptathlon at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
She is accused of punching another beauty queen, Miss Manchester Sara Beverley Jones, in the face after a row at a Manchester nightclub last week.
The argument was said to be about Tornado, a 22-year-old Gladiator who appears in the Sky1 series and whose real name is David McIntosh.
It is believed that Miss Jones, 24, a club promoter and would-be actress, is an ex-girlfriend of Mr McIntosh while Miss Christie is his current partner.
Miss Christie was the first black woman to be crowned Miss England.
POSTED: 14/11/2009 12:00:00
Bookmark with:
Email to a friend: