I was Whitney Houston’s real bodyguard – when she shared a shocking confession, I knew it would change her life forever

IN deed movie The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston’s idiosyncratic extortion serviceman takes a slug to prevention her life.

But the lone carnal scar the precocious singer’s existent minder bears is simply a people connected his caput — from erstwhile she accidentally threw a vessel astatine him during a edifice brawl.

Emotionally, David Roberts is inactive wounded by his inability to shield Whitney from the drugs that contributed to her decease aged 48 successful 2012.

The 73-year-old Welshman is said to beryllium the inspiration down Kevin Costner’s character, Frank Farmer, successful 1992 movie The Bodyguard.

In real life, David guarded the I Will Always Love You vocalist for 7 years.

He kept their narration strictly platonic, but cared capable astir her to enactment his occupation connected the enactment by exposing hangers-on who were giving Whitney deadly substances.

David claims euphony manufacture advisers did not nonstop her for the rehab she desperately needed due to the fact that it would person wrecked her clean-cut image.

Ahead of the merchandise of his book, Protecting Whitney: The Memoir Of Her Bodyguard, helium says: “You and I should beryllium sitting listening to her caller records, but we’re not, due to the fact that it was allowed to happen.

“She needed assistance and was overwhelmed due to the fact that of everything that was going connected successful her life, and her health did not travel first

" My choler and hatred to- wards those who had facilitated Whitney’s quality to bash this to herself was profound.

“Good heavens, I had talks with her squad members astir things.

“The statement backmost successful the time was if 1 goes into rehabilitation, past one’s estimation is tarnished.”

When Whitney, who sold much than 170million records and won six Grammys, was recovered dormant successful her bathtub astatine the Beverly Hilton hotel successful Los Angeles aft taking cocaine, the daze was felt acold and wide.

Last month, Kevin Costner posted an aged representation of himself adjacent to the prima arsenic helium turned 70, with the message: “This photograph reminds maine of however fortunate I americium to beryllium getting different birthday. We mislaid specified a airy erstwhile we mislaid Whitney.”

As the February 11 day of the singer’s decease approaches, David is inactive trying to marque consciousness of her passing.

He was a highly trained extortion serviceman erstwhile helium was offered the job arsenic Whitney’s bodyguard successful 1988.

David’s acquisition included moving for the Metropolitan police, grooming arsenic a sniper, being progressive successful the Iranian embassy siege successful London successful 1980 and keeping dignitaries safe.

At first, helium turned the information relation down due to the fact that helium had ne'er heard of Whitney, contempt her being a chart- topping singer, and was not keen connected “looking aft popular stars”.

‘Heavily addicted’

But aft listening to her euphony and gathering the down-to-earth icon, helium changed his mind.

Just similar successful The Bodyguard movie, Whitney was plagued by crazed fans, including a heavy equipped 1 with plans to kidnap her and others who thought they were joined to her.

David says of the film: “It did, successful reality, travel galore of the elements that we, Whitney and I, person experienced, oregon to a lesser degree.

“You get fanatics astir the satellite and you person to support them away.

“A antheral with a firearm oregon weaponry is the astir hard menace to woody with. I carried a firearm wherever we went, whether it was ineligible oregon illegal.”

There were besides troublemakers who harassed Whitney erstwhile she wanted to beryllium near alone. In 1991, 3 autograph hunters clashed with the vocalist and her member Michael astatine a edifice successful Lexington, Kentucky.

David stepped successful and a vessel was thrown astatine him successful the mayhem. He recalls: “One feline was thumping Whitney’s member successful the look and truthful I deed the feline erstwhile and helium fell and went implicit the sofa.

"I’m present dealing with 3 of these radical who are a threat. One of them was lasting down maine and Whitney smashed a vessel of Heineken connected my head.

“I turned around, grabbed him, picked him up and helium was shouting, ‘It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me’.

“The world is I had been facing 1 of the different attackers and Whitney threw the vessel to deed the attacker. If the vessel hadn’t deed my head, it would person smashed into the 2nd guy’s face.”

Whitney besides had the attraction of celebrated men. One was reportedly the Oscar-winning histrion Robert De Niro, who it is claimed tried to woo her.

David says with a smile: “I lone heard from a 3rd enactment that Mr De Niro had go infatuated with Whitney and was sending her roses. That carried connected until Whitney Houston’s parent got progressive and that would beryllium the extremity of that.”

Another suitor was Eddie Murphy, who had an on-off narration with the star. David got the content the Beverly Hills Cop histrion was a “nice guy”.

But helium does not complaint Whitney’s erstwhile husband, the Two Can Play That Game vocalist Bobby Brown.

Recalling however helium learned the mates were to marry, helium says: “One day, she reached crossed the array and grabbed my wrist. ‘David, I wanted you to beryllium the archetypal to cognize and inquire you, I’m going to wed Bobby Brown, what bash you think?’.

‘A large mother’

“The archetypal happening I thought went thing like, ‘You are f***ing kidding me, right, boss?’.”

He was close to beryllium concerned, arsenic Brown has admitted hitting his woman and to taking drugs with her.

Whitney had utilized amerciable substances specified arsenic cannabis from a young age, and yet got heavy addicted to ace cocaine.

David did not spot her taking immoderate drugs due to the fact that it is thing she would bash unsocial astatine location oregon successful edifice suites. But her occupation became wide erstwhile she was filming Forest Whitaker’s directorial debut, Waiting To Exhale, successful 1995.

He says: “I was told Whitney had overdosed and that we were going to instrumentality immoderate clip disconnected filming. I ne'er knew she was taking them, but I was alert that others successful the ellipse were good progressive with the drugs.”

Even though Whitney was successful request of aesculapian care, David says assistance was not sought.

He reveals: “After her overdose, Whitney was unconscious, incapable to walk, speech oregon adjacent beryllium up successful bed.

“She could not beryllium taken to the hospital, nor could a doc beryllium called to the edifice country wherever she remained, due to the fact that of the media ungraded that would person ensued.”

David was aggravated with himself for not being capable to forestall dealers getting drugs to Whitney.

He says: “I thought, ‘How had I fto my rule gaffe distant for 36 hours, truthful she could fell successful a wardrobe and binge connected coke?’. She’d devised a analyzable program to bash so.”

Afterwards, David sent a missive to Whitney’s lawyers laying retired his concerns astir the members of her entourage who were giving her drugs. Word got backmost to her squad and helium was dismissed.

He says: “At the extremity of the day, everyone should beryllium liable for their ain demise and success. But the proposal she was given, successful my opinion, was wrong.”

The singer’s lone daughter, Bobbi Kristina, who was to travel a similar, tragic path. She died successful 2015, aged 22, six months aft being recovered look down successful the bath, having taken a cocktail of drugs. David says: “When her girl died, it was heartbreaking doubly over, and I was angry.”

He recalls however overjoyed Whitney was erstwhile she told him she was pregnant, adding: “Seeing her wheeled retired of the transportation country erstwhile she had her babe is 1 of the astir memorable things for me. She was a large mother.”

Both deaths were, the bodyguard says, a “total waste.” He adds: “Whitney was 1 of the astir beautiful, lovely, genuine, blase individuals I person had the pleasance to cognize and to enactment for.

“All Whitney ever wanted was to emotion and to beryllium loved.”

Protecting Whitney, by David Roberts, is retired connected February 4 successful bookshops and connected Amazon.