Rachel Christie

Rachel Sophia Adina Christie (born c. 24 July 1988) is a British beauty pageant contestant, model, TV personality, businesswoman and athlete who was briefly Miss England 2009, and the first black woman to hold the title.^[1]

In 2015, she returned to the public eye, having appeared on Love Island. Her stint was short lived and was eliminated in Week 2.

Christie has since become a businesswoman and has set up her own lifestyle and fitness magazine called Going for Gold, and has launched her own perfume called Mesmerise

Personal

Christie is the niece of former Olympic sprint champion Linford Christie, who, along with Ron Roddan,^[2] serves as her coach. She was born to Russell Christie (Linford's brother). At the age of 34, Russell Christie was stabbed in the neck with a Swiss Army knife. She was eight years old.^[1][3][4]

She became the first black winner of Miss England in 2009. She was mentored by supermodel Caprice and was invited by Naomi Campbell to walk in her Fashion for Relief Haiti catwalk show to raise funds for 2010 Haiti earthquake. In 2009, she began dating David McIntosh (Gladiators), a fitness model who was briefly engaged to model Kelly Brook. He was also a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother 14, where he was the first to be evicted. They were together for four turbulent years and had a son. In several interviews over the past few years, she explains herself and David aren't on speaking terms.

In June 2015, she was announced in the line up for the revived reality show Love Island. appearing on the show for two weeks.

Since launching a perfume, she has also announced she is becoming a publisher and is launching her own online lifestyle and fitness magazine, called Going for Gold. She is due to release its first issue in early 2016. Christie is also currently penning her autobiography.

Relinquishing of Miss England crown

In the early hours of 2 November 2009, Christie was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Miss Manchester Sara Beverley Jones, 24, at a Manchester nightclub. There was an altercation with Miss Jones which was caught on CCTV. Greater Manchester Police had agreed Christie hadn't committed any crime and was released without charge or caution.

Upon her exit from the police station, news of the alleged fight had already made headlines and the speculation intensified and Christie subsequently announced her withdrawal from the Miss World competition. She then relinquished her Miss England crown.^[5] The crown was passed on to the runner-up in the 2009 pageant, Katrina Hodge.^[6]

It was alleged by Christie in an interview with the Daily Mail that she had been stalked by Sara Beverley Jones. She told them: 'A group of us went back to his place, where I'd left my things while we went out, and all my stuff had been thrown about the place. The word "Slag" was written on the wall in my lipstick. My car keys had been hidden, my possessions trashed. It was horrible." Christie then added: "'When I saw her that night in the club, I tried to keep my distance. But she came over and took my glass from in front of me. It was threatening behaviour. It was just a commotion after that." Miss Jones was allegedly punched in the face after arguing about Tornado, a star of Sky1's Gladiator series.^[6]

In July 2010 Christie was convicted of failing to provide police with a breath specimen after being caught driving smelling of alcohol. She failed to blow into the breathalyser properly 13 times. She was convicted in her absence and a warrant issued for her arrest.^[7] She was banned from driving for 12 months.^[8]

References

External links

• Miss England, Rachel Christie, tells her story The Sunday Times. Published 22 November 2009. Accessed 15 August 2011.