Katrina Hodge, the former Miss England, is trading her crown for Army fatigues as she prepares for her deployment to Afghanistan. She is returning to the Army following her term as the UK's reigning beauty queen.
Armed Forces Press reports that Lance Cpl Hodge, 24, who is married to a soldier, Neil, whose surname cannot be revealed for security reasons and has already served in Iraq, left active duty after winning the beauty contest last January. But she is now back in Army.
Hodge, a former lingerie model, joined the military at age 17 and served with 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment in Iraq for seven months before becoming a beauty queen. She has written a book about her experiences, Combat To Catwalk, which comes out on April 4. Decorated for her bravery in Basra, Hodge, who's been dubbed "Combat Barbie," told AFP that she is glad to be back in the coalition forces and that she's ready to ready to take on the challenge:
