Whitney Houston’s Former Bodyguard Says He Was Once Tempted To Give Up Everything For The Singer

Whitney Houston’s Former Bodyguard Says He Was Once Tempted to ‘Give Up Everything’ for the Singer

The film ‘The Bodyguard’ was loosely based on the pair’s real-life dynamic

Whitney Houston in 2004

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Whitney Houston’s former bodyguard has revealed that there was once a moment when his feelings for the singer were not strictly professional.

In an interview with the Daily Mail published on Friday, Dec. 27, former police officer David Roberts — whom the 1992 movie The Bodyguard was loosely based on — opened up about his time protecting the iconic singer, who died of a drug overdose in 2012 at the age of 48.

The Welsh-born Roberts, who served as Houston’s bodyguard from 1988 to 1995, spoke to the outlet ahead of the publication of his memoir Protecting Whitney, which is set to be released in January 2025.

While Roberts, 73, insisted that Houston’s safety was always his utmost priority, he said there was one evening when the star rested her head on his shoulder and he was tempted to “give up everything” to change the nature of their relationship.

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Whitney Houston in 1985

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“If you cross that line, you lose your objectivity, and that makes it dangerous for the person you’re protecting,” he told the outlet, adding, “That was why Frank Farmer [Kevin Costner’s character in The Bodyguard] and Rachel Marron [Houston’s character] couldn’t be together — he crossed the line and that was the end of him in the capacity of what he was employed to do.”

“Much of what was contained in the film, she and I actually lived through,” Roberts continued. “Little details such as Rachel holding onto the back of his shirt to escape crowds of fans. That was how we did it.”

Roberts, who now lives in Florida, also revealed that he still has a note that Houston wrote him more than 35 years ago.

‘It was [on] a Post-it note and she pushed it under the door of my room at the Regency Hotel in Hong Kong in 1988. I still have it — it’s rather faded with time but still precious to me,” he said.

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Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner in ‘The Bodyguard’

The former police officer told the Daily Mail that the six-time Grammy winner, who was only 23 when they first met, experienced a number of serious security threats during his time with her.

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“They were mostly [threats from] men who felt let down, embittered and cheated,” he recalled. “It was an ongoing program of constantly checking where these lunatics with delusions and poisoned minds might be. I had to get it right 100 percent of the time — some idiot determined to get hold of her only has to be successful once.”

“I put myself between her and those threats. ‘You want to get to Whitney? Go ahead and try, see what happens,’ ” he continued.

Roberts also noted that there was a “thin line” between a seemingly harmless fan and a dangerous person with a “crazed” obsession. “If you let any fan, however seemingly innocent, get through your guard, they could turn out to be a killer. The golden rule is never lose sight of your principal and never let anyone get close to her,” he told the outlet.

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Whitney Houston in 1991

In a 2017 interview with The Guardian, Roberts said he initially did not want to take the job of protecting Houston because he assumed she would be a high-maintenance industry person. However, his preconceived notions of the star were dispelled when he met her face-to-face.

“I was singularly impressed by her. The stereotypical attitudes I had of that industry were completely dissipated by this sophisticated young lady,” he told the outlet, recalling that Houston was also funny and warm.

Roberts also told The Guardian at the time that Houston’s 2012 death still made him angry. “So many people could have done so much to avoid that. They didn’t. They abdicated responsibility in favor of greed,” he said.

Houston struggled with drugs for much of her adult life and attended rehab multiple times.

In 2016, a close family friend told PEOPLE that the singer — often called “The Voice” because of her immense talent — initially began taking drugs as a way to cope with the pressures of fame.

“I think not being able to be herself 100 percent was a hell of a burden for her to have to carry. Someone may look good on the outside, sturdy and strong … [but] on the inside, you have someone who had insecurities and family issues and emotional personal issues and struggles,” the family friend said.