Size 16 girl scoops second place in Miss England competition

Chloe Marshall, who is a trainee opera singer from Cranleigh, was crowned Miss Surrey.

Chloe said earlier: "I wanted to enter Miss England to show everyone that you can be beautiful no matter what size you are and that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes."

Chloe glows in a stunning white swimsuit at the Miss England Grand Final

Together with 'Combat Barbie' Katrina Hodge, 21, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Chloe overshadowed the Miss England winner.

Lance Corporal Hodge 21, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, who was honoured for fighting off an Iraqi insurgent, was awarded the Eco Girl Award.

Collecting her prize, she said: "I am an ambassador for the whole of the armed forces.

"Obviously, I have had a bit of stick from the lads.

"I have been to Iraq and there is nothing scarier than walking on this stage."

Combat barbie: Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge in her combat gear and (below) in a breath-taking dress at the Miss England Grand Final

The Miss England title went to a 22-year-old graduate from a family of beauty queens.

Miss Derby, Laura Coleman, said it was her "dream" to win the title.

She said: "I'm really excited. It's great to support Derby and do my parents proud. My mum and my grandmother are both beauty queens so it's a family tradition. It really is my dream to do this."

Combat barbie: Chloe struts her stuff on the cat walk with Natasha Cooper, 18, from Cumbria (left) during the Miss England 2008 Grand Final

In third place was Miss Norwich, Jessica Linley, 18.

The judging panel this year's competition held at the Troxy Centre in London included Hollyoaks actor Chris Fountain and actress Ravi Singh.

Miss Coleman will go on to represent England at the Miss World competition in Kiev, Ukraine, in October.

The Miss England line-up: First runner up Chloe Marshall (left), 17, Miss England winner Laura Coleman, 22 (centre), and second runner up Jessica Linley, 18