 Miss England, Katrina Hodge, 21, poses, right, during a photo session for Miss World contestants in London. Hodge, who earned the nickname "Combat Barbie" during a posting in Iraq, was the first runner-up in the 2009 national Miss England contest, and has now been given leave to represent England after the current Miss England, Rachel Christie relinquished her crown. (AP/Matt Dunham, WENN.com)
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LONDON — The reigning Miss England has relinquished her crown after being accused of a fight in a bar.
Pageant organizers say Rachel Christie has also withdrawn from next month’s Miss World competition in South Africa.
They said in a statement that the 21-year-old heptathlete will now focus on clearing her name and training for the 2012 Olympics.
British newspapers reported that Christie got into a dustup with another beauty queen — Miss Manchester Sara Beverley Jones — in a nightclub earlier this week.
Greater Manchester Police said Friday that a 21-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assault after an altercation at the city’s Mansion nightclub on Monday. She was released on bail pending further enquiries.
Katrina Hodge, 21, who is a Lance Corporal Military Clerk with the Adjutant General Corps in England will be Christie's replacement.
Hodge, who earned the nickname "Combat Barbie" during a posting in Iraq by her colleagues, was first runner-up in the 2009 national Miss England contest, and has now been given leave to represent England in the Miss World Final in Johannesburg, South Africa in December 2009.
