She pours a good pint, holds her own at karaoke, has the hots for Twilight star Robert Pattinson and is a serving Lance Corporal in the Army decorated for bravery in Iraq.

So what's her favourite karaoke song? No, seriously – and Katrina can be disconcertingly serious – the reigning Miss England is a military maid, made in heaven as far as the Army pr is concerned.

Presently she's in the middle of an unpaid career break until September and paid a flying visit to the Fylde to promote the very first Miss Fylde Coast competition.

It's being held at Lytham's Lowther Pavilion in May and, not surprisingly, Katrina wants to see as many local girls as possible enter it.

"I entered in 2008 and didn't win," she admits. "I'm not a pageant professional and I only did it for a bit of a laugh and a bit of a dare.

"Then I thought it would be a good way to promote girls in the armed forces.

"I went in with the attitude that just being there was enough but enjoyed it so much the first time that I went back. I wasn't going to go back at first but I found I missed the charity work which is a big part of this competition."

Charity work? Surprisingly over the last two years the competition has raised £250,000 for different charities – and all the girls are
expected to raise as much as they can.

"It shows how much beauty competitions have changed," says Katrina. "This one has come on a whole lot from just being a beauty pageant. I'm under no illusions – I'm not the best looking girl in England but it's more about being an ambassador and role model these days.

"I've met so many girls who just do it as a confidence booster so if it helps with that it's a good thing.

"I wasn't always as confident as I am now – the Army helped a lot - and in turn they've been very helpful and supportive to me. They see it as breaking the stereotype of females in the armed services."

She admits at first she thought she could hold down her career and her title but "it all got too hectic."

Now she's seeing out her reign - doing charity work, encouraging girls to enter the various regional finals and even lending a hand judging.
"I'll be at the Miss Fylde Coast final – compering or judging," she says. "I'm really sympathetic to the newcomers. I was in their shoes last year so it's odd judging them."

She's also keen to see as many new faces as possible.

"If you want something set your mind on it," she says. "I trained in the Army not on the catwalk – but I practiced with books on my head and Victoria's Secrets shoes. I thought I'd give it a go. Most girls could if they set their minds on it."

But from sharing lockers to being a pin-up on them is quite a leap of faith?

"Everyone has been very positive but it's odd to think that I've become a pin-up," she admits. "I was in an office the other week and saw a
calendar with my picture in it. It wasn't as embarrassing as I thought – I just found it funny."

With a return to the Army looming in seven months won't it be a shock to the system?

"It'll be fine," she says. "I'm used to the military. My brother said I wouldn't be able to do it and that inspired me. I intended just doing the 12 week initial basic training but I loved it and stuck with it. So I signed on for three years and now I've extended it to seven."

She had toyed with a stage career at one time – enrolling for the British School of Performing Arts.

"But I weighed up the pros and cons and I wanted a career with a constant wage – so chose the Army.

"I still do karaoke at my local on a Thursday - I can belt out a mean Shirley Bassey."

Army life has taken her to Austria, Canada and Iraq – as Miss England she has toured the UK and represented her country in the Miss World final in Johannesburg.

Which has been the best?

"It's all a different adventure," she says with a tact she has learnt along the way. "I've learned what to say and what not to say. But there's no scandal to uncover!"

So what's the crush on Robert Pattinson all about?

"Oh it's not just him," she admits. "There's Robert Kazinsky from EastEnders and The Dream Team too – and that's even with his red hair!"

But what about her own love life. Is there a boyfriend or partner on the scene and if so what does he think about dating Miss England?

"I have a comrade in arms or whatever you like to call him," she says. "He doesn't mind. He's in the Army too and we were together
before all this. He actually prefers it when I'm not all dolled up in make-up."

In military parlance he's "abroad" at the moment but they keep in daily contact.

A lifelong Blackpool fan, her Bradford-based family brought her here frequently as a child.

"I loved the donkeys with random names, the Big Wheel, Blackpool's Tussauds, the Pepsi Max, I loved it all," she says.

And her parents, like everyone else, have supported her all along.
"They are proud of both my careers – they keep all the newspaper cuttings," she says.

And which sees more fighting? Army life or the catwalk?

"No one forces anyone to enter Miss England and everyone has their own reason for entering," she says. "I thought it would all be catty but it's not. Obviously you get the ones who, shall I say, take it more
seriously but mostly they just want to make friends."

So what - apart from Army life – is next? Reality television?

"Oh yeah, I'd love that – and I'm already trained for life in the jungle! People would see my real personality.

"There is going to be a book – my life and how I got to where I got – aimed at teenagers rather than Jordan's readership. It's important that youngsters should have good role model.

"I know I've helped recruitment – though I suppose it could be a coincidence that more girls have been joining up since I got the title."

And after the Army?

"I wouldn't mind running a pub when I'm older - I'd call it Shenanigans," says Katrina.