Kent News - Combat Barbie will contest the Miss World crown

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Tuesday, February 9 2010, 15:57

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Combat Barbie will contest the Miss World crown

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Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge

A soldier dubbed Combat Barbie will represent England in the Miss World competition after getting a late call-up.

Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge, 21, from Tunbridge Wells, came second in the Miss England beauty contest earlier this year.

She was the runner-up to Rachel Christie, 21, the niece of former sprinter Linford Christie.

But L/Cpl Hodge will now represent her country at the world beauty queen contest after Miss Christie stepped down as Miss England following her arrest over an alleged nightclub brawl in Manchester.

She has said she wants 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.

L/Cpl Hodge has been given leave from her duties as a soldier in the British Army to represent England in the Miss World final in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 12 December.

She was previously given an 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.

Miss Christie allegedly punched 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: 09/11/2009 11:33:39