Katrina Hodge, Former Miss England, Set For Deployment In Afghanistan
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A former Miss England will soon be swapping her glamorous gowns for a set of military fatigues, as she is set to be deployed in Afghanistan as early as next year. (Scroll down for photos)
As the AFP is reporting, Katrina Hodge was named Miss England last January. While the British media has already dubbed her "Combat Barbie," the 24-year-old Hodge -- who has already served in Iraq -- insists she's happy to be re-joining the British ranks.
"At the end of the day, it's my job. If that's what I've got to do, then that's what I've got to do," she told the AFP. "It's hard to be excited about going to Afghanistan but it's the reality of our job. Our job is be out there, protecting our country."
Corporal Hodge, from Brighton, reportedly joined the forces as a 17-year-old and served with 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, in Iraq for seven months before becoming a beauty queen. She married her husband, a fellow soldier named Neil, in a top-secret Sri Lanka ceremony last June.
Currently in training for deployment, Hodge has called her re-enlisting a "culture shock." She went on to note, "I'm not going to lie, it was hard to come back. It's definitely a change of lifestyle from having your hair and make-up done every day to being in your combats and having your hair scraped back."
A former lingerie model, Hodge has written a new book, Combat to Catwalk, about her experiences, due to hit shelves on April 4.
View photos of Hodge's Miss England days here:
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First Posted: 01/10/11 10:17 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 07:25 PM ET