Katrina Hodge
Encyclopedia
Corporal
Katrina Hodge (born 1987) is a serving member of the British Army
from Royal Tunbridge Wells
, Kent
in south-east England
who was Miss England
2009.
for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon
.
but is a member of the Adjutant Generals Corps. She reported for duty at their barracks in Winchester, Hampshire, wearing kitten heels, false eyelashes
and with her clothes in a pink suitcase, earning her the nickname Combat Barbie.
She rose to fame after it was reported in the British papers in 2005 that she had earned a commendation for her bravery whilst serving with the Royal Anglian Regiment in Iraq
for wrestling two rifles from a prisoner following a road traffic accident and then flooring him with her bare hands - thus saving lives of her comrades. She was promoted to Lance Corporal
.
As part-time model, at the finals for the 2008 Miss England
held on July 18, 2008, she placed fourth and won Miss Eco girl.
She was quickly signed up by lingerie firm La Senza
, Originally she was the runner up in the 2009 Miss England competition, but became Miss England on November 7, 2009 when the pageant winner Rachel Christie
stepped down after she was involved in a fight. She only had 48 hours to prepare before taking part in the 59th Miss World pageant held in South Africa.
As Miss England Hodge managed to persuade the Organisers to remove the Bikini round from the Miss England competition. This she said would change peoples views of beauty pageants, from being just about looks and more about the girl. Hodge said "To be Miss England you don't have to be the girl who looks best in a swimsuit, thankfully it's much more than that, it's about being a good role model". The Bikini Round of the 2010 competition was removed and replaced with a sportswear round. Given six months leave by the Army, she is presently the front person for dating site Uniform Dating, which specifically aims to help military personnel find love.
in September 2010, and returned to active duty in the Army. After various training exercises, Hodge deployed to Afghanistan
in early 2011.
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Katrina Hodge (born 1987) is a serving member of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
from Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in south-east England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
who was Miss England
Miss England
The Miss England competition is an annual beauty pageant targeted at young females aged 17–24 years living in England. Entrants must hold a British passport to enter....
2009.
Biography
Born and raised in Tunbridge Wells, she was educated from age 15 at the BRIT SchoolBRIT School
The London School for Performing Arts & Technology is a British school located in Selhurst, Croydon, in London, England, with a mandate to provide education and vocational training for the performing arts, media, art and design and the technologies that make performance possible...
for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
.
Army career
Challenged by her older brother to join the Army, she signed up aged 17. After basic training she was assigned to the Royal Anglian RegimentRoyal Anglian Regiment
The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on 1 September 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the...
but is a member of the Adjutant Generals Corps. She reported for duty at their barracks in Winchester, Hampshire, wearing kitten heels, false eyelashes
Eyelash extensions
Like hair extensions, eyelash extensions add length, thickness and fullness to natural eyelashes. Synthetic single fiber polyester thread-like materials are applied to individual eyelashes to create a fuller, longer look.- Materials :...
and with her clothes in a pink suitcase, earning her the nickname Combat Barbie.
She rose to fame after it was reported in the British papers in 2005 that she had earned a commendation for her bravery whilst serving with the Royal Anglian Regiment in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
for wrestling two rifles from a prisoner following a road traffic accident and then flooring him with her bare hands - thus saving lives of her comrades. She was promoted to Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
.
Modelling
Hodge was the first Military Person to ever enter a UK pageant. She wanted to break stereotypes of females in the Army and in Pageants.As part-time model, at the finals for the 2008 Miss England
Miss England
The Miss England competition is an annual beauty pageant targeted at young females aged 17–24 years living in England. Entrants must hold a British passport to enter....
held on July 18, 2008, she placed fourth and won Miss Eco girl.
She was quickly signed up by lingerie firm La Senza
La Senza
La Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer based in Dorval, Quebec, Canada, which sells lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by Limited Brands.- History :...
, Originally she was the runner up in the 2009 Miss England competition, but became Miss England on November 7, 2009 when the pageant winner Rachel Christie
Rachel Christie
Rachel Sophia Adina Christie is a British beauty pageant contestant and athlete who was briefly Miss England 2009, and the first black mixed race woman to hold the title.-Personal:...
stepped down after she was involved in a fight. She only had 48 hours to prepare before taking part in the 59th Miss World pageant held in South Africa.
As Miss England Hodge managed to persuade the Organisers to remove the Bikini round from the Miss England competition. This she said would change peoples views of beauty pageants, from being just about looks and more about the girl. Hodge said "To be Miss England you don't have to be the girl who looks best in a swimsuit, thankfully it's much more than that, it's about being a good role model". The Bikini Round of the 2010 competition was removed and replaced with a sportswear round. Given six months leave by the Army, she is presently the front person for dating site Uniform Dating, which specifically aims to help military personnel find love.
Return to army
Hodge handed over the Miss England crown to Jessica LinleyJessica Linley
Jessica Linley is a university student and commercial model who was crowned Miss England on 1 September 2010. She is originally from Norwich. She represented Nottingham at the Miss England competition and England at Miss World 2010....
in September 2010, and returned to active duty in the Army. After various training exercises, Hodge deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in early 2011.