Sexy soldiers appear in Girls Aloud-style shoot

A group of sexy female soldiers have appeared on the front cover of Country Life magazine in a Girls Aloud-style shoot.

The troops – who are currently serving on the frontline in Afghanistan with the 3 Rifles Division – are the first UK soldiers to feature on the front cover in the posh publication’s 113-year history.

Taken at the Jackson base in north Helmand, the snaps show the soldiers posing with their guns and relaxing with each other.

Mark Hedges, editor of the magazine, says the decision to feature the troops was making a statement about bravery and moving on from the publication’s traditional "girls in pearls" image.

"We wanted to do something different. We feel soldiers don’t get the credit they deserve. People should be proud of what they are doing and there are young women out there as well as men," he explains.

But they are not the first troops to swap their battle gear for modelling – Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge was the 2009 winner of the Miss England beauty pageant.

Posted by Samantha Thompson