David Roberts, a former police officer who became Whitney Houston’s real-life bodyguard, is sharing his experiences from his time working with the late star. Houston tragically passed away in February 2012 after being found unresponsive at her Beverly Hills hotel. Roberts worked closely with her from 1988 to 1995. However, contrary to the movie The Bodyguard, which featured Houston and Kevin Costner, their relationship was purely professional and platonic.
Roberts is set to release a memoir titled Protecting Whitney, which will be published next month. He describes the book as a tribute to the singer he admired and cared for. Although their relationship was never romantic, Roberts confessed in a recent interview with Daily Mail that he would have “give up everything” to be with her had the opportunity arisen.
“As a close protection officer, I was absolutely focused on keeping her safe. If you cross that line, you lose your objectivity and that makes it dangerous for the person you’re protecting,” he said. “That was why Frank Farmer [Costner’s character in the film] and Rachel Marron [Houston] 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.”
The film portrays Houston as the global icon Rachel Marron, who, along with her bodyguard, attempts to escape a dangerous stalker. Roberts says that many aspects of the movie mirrored their real experiences. “Much of what was contained in the film, she and I actually lived through. Little details such as the character Rachel Marron holding on to the back of his shirt to escape crowds of fans. That was how we did it.”
Now 73 years old, Roberts bears a significant scar on his head from an incident in Kentucky, where he defended Houston during a confrontation between her brother Michael and a group of racist thugs. He took his bodyguard role seriously, from the moment he first met Houston at the American Embassy in London. He was asked to protect her while she was in the UK for her Moment of Truth tour, and she continued to keep him on thereafter. Just like in the film, he dealt with many obsessed fans trying to get close to the star, though Houston herself remained unaware of the threats she faced, as Roberts kept them at bay.
Roberts holds Houston’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown, partly responsible for her tragic fate. “There is no doubt in my mind that she and Bobby loved each other but unfortunately, her love was constant while his was variable,” he said. He recalled many heated arguments and moments when he believed Brown’s jealousy led him to sabotage her career.
Roberts’ time working with Houston ended when he crossed the professional boundary by sending a letter to her family and business associates detailing her drug use. After a near-fatal overdose in 1995, Roberts felt compelled to write the letter, which accused members of Houston’s entourage of supplying her with drugs. He was fired a week later and never saw or spoke to Houston again.
