Whitney Houston’s former bodyguard once considered risking it all for the late singer
Ahead of the release of his memoir, Whitney Houston’s former bodyguard David Roberts reveals what it was like to work for the songstress.
Whitney Houston may have almost found herself in a real-life romance mirroring that of the characters in the iconic 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” in which she starred opposite Kevin Costner.
Ahead of the release of his memoir, “Protecting Whitney,” (Chicago Review Press) in January 2025, David Roberts, a former bodyguard for Houston, is revealing a time he considered risking “everything” to be with her.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Roberts recalled a time when the legendary songstress rested her head on his shoulder, and he was “tempted to give up everything” in hopes of changing their relationship from professional to romantic.
In the end, he didn’t make a move because he was “clear-eyed” enough to understand the boundaries of his duty.
“If you cross that line, you lose your objectivity, and that makes it dangerous for the person you’re protecting,” he told the publication.
He continued, “That was why Frank Farmer [Kevin Costner’s character] 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.”
Roberts served as Houston’s bodyguard from 1988 to 1995, People magazine reported. During his tenure, he told the Daily Mail, “Much of what was contained in the film, she and I actually lived through.”
He continued, “Details such as Rachel holding onto the back of his shirt to escape crowds of fans. That was how we did it.”
According to Roberts, Houston experienced a lot of real-life security threats he had to navigate.
“They were mostly [from] men who felt let down, embittered, and cheated,” he told the outlet. “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 said.
Roberts explained that there is a “thin line” between a harmless fan and a dangerous person with a “crazed” obsession.
He added, “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.”
Based on the publisher’s synopsis, “Protecting Whitney” delves deeper into Roberts’ experience as a bodyguard for one of the world’s most famous women. Taking readers through what he witnessed, Roberts revisits the highs, like major career accomplishments and the birth of Houston’s only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, to the lows, like the megastar’s substance abuse. He grapples with her death in 2012 at the age of 48, caused by a drug overdose and accidental drowning, ultimately sharing the story of why it was “easy” to want to put his life on the line for Houston time after time.
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