Katrina Hodge Lance Corporal of the British Army, winner of the title 'Miss England 2009'. Country: Great Britain

Biography of Katrina Hodge

Katrina Hodge, a Lance Corporal in the British Army and the winner of the 'Miss England 2009' title, was born and raised in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. At the age of 15, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Inspired by her older brother, she joined the army at the age of 17 and was assigned to the Royal Anglian Regiment as a member of the Adjutant General's Corps.

When Hodge arrived at her base in Winchester, Hampshire, she made quite an entrance. She wore sandals with low heels, fake eyelashes, and carried a pink suitcase. This led to her being nicknamed 'Combat Barbie' for the remainder of her service. In 2005, Hodge gained recognition in the British press for receiving a special bravery award for her actions during her deployment in Iraq. She bravely disarmed an escaping prisoner after a car accident, managing to wrestle away two rifles and subdue him, thereby saving the lives of her comrades. Her courage led to her promotion to Lance Corporal.

Later, Hodge made headlines again as the first military member to participate in a beauty pageant. Her main motivation was to challenge societal stereotypes about the beauty and sexuality of female service members. In July 2008, she competed in the 'Miss England 2008' pageant and finished in fourth place, earning the title of 'Miss Eco'.

Following her success in the pageant, Hodge signed a contract with the company 'La Senza'. However, her true aspiration was to become 'Miss England'. Her dream came true on November 7, 2009, when the original winner, Rachel Christie, was disqualified for a fight. Hodge, who initially placed second, quickly prepared herself for the 59th edition of the 'Miss World' pageant. Although she didn't win, Hodge's participation did not go unnoticed. She convinced the judges to replace the traditional swimsuit segment with a sports costume contest.

In September 2010, Hodge passed on the 'Miss England' title to Jessica Linley and returned to her military service. After completing a training course, she was deployed to Afghanistan.