Robert De Niro was ‘smitten’ with Whitney Houston, but told to ‘stop making a fool’ of himself: author

Before Kevin Costner, determination was David Roberts.

The erstwhile constabulary officer, who went connected to go Whitney Houston’s bodyguard, has written a memoir, "Protecting Whitney." It details however Welsh-born Roberts looked aft the vocalist earlier their relationship came to an abrupt end.

Roberts was hired successful 1988 for the superstar’s UK information of the "Moment of Truth" satellite tour. He told Fox News Digital that Houston had 1 celebrated instrumentality who made his adoration good known – Robert De Niro.

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Whitney Houston's erstwhile bodyguard, David Roberts, claimed that Robert De Niro couldn't halt sending Whitney Houston roses successful an effort to woo her - but Cissy Houston rapidly intervened. (Gene Shaw/Getty Images/Mary Evans/WARNER BROS/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection)

"Mr. De Niro was smitten with Ms. Houston," helium recalled. "He kept sending her flowers. I don’t mean a clump of flowers . . . it was a country afloat of flowers. And that was for a fewer months."

According to Roberts’ book, De Niro was "not an idiosyncratic utilized to taking nary for an answer." However, the "Raging Bull" star was nary lucifer for Houston’s mother, vocalist Cissy Houston.

Actor Robert De Niro arsenic Jake LaMotta successful "Raging Bull," directed by Martin Scorsese, 1980.  (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

"She called him up," Roberts claimed. "She told him to halt it – halt making a fool retired of himself. And erstwhile Cissy Houston says halt it, you halt it. That was the extremity of that."

According to reports, Whitney Houston and Eddie Murphy dated successful the '80s. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

At the time, according to Roberts’ book, Houston was dating Eddie Murphy.

A spokesperson for De Niro, present 81, didn't instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for remark astir Roberts' claims.

Houston herself erstwhile recalled however the Oscar victor attempted to triumph her over. During an quality connected "The Byron Allen Show" successful 1990, she described however De Niro followed her "all the mode to London."

"Mr. De Niro was smitten with Ms. Houston. He kept sending her flowers. I don’t mean a clump of flowers … it was a country afloat of flowers. And that was for a fewer months."

David Roberts' book, "Protecting Whitney," is retired now. (Chicago Review Press)

"He sent maine flowers and everything, and he’d been connected my case," she said. "He’d been sweating maine for a small while. . . . He was like, ‘Is Whitney here? How agelong agone did she leave?’' . . . He called maine the nighttime astatine Carnegie Hall. He did. He called backstage and wanted to speech to maine that night. . . . He called maine that night."

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Robert De Niro with Toukie Smith, circa 1989.  (Gene Shaw/Getty Images)

"He was a small spot shy, truthful helium didn’t privation to travel to the amusement due to the fact that helium shies distant from the nationalist eye," she gushed. "But . . . helium sent maine immoderate flowers and stuff, and helium wanted to get to cognize maine better. . . . [But] he’s going with Toukie Smith."

At the time, Houston claimed that De Niro wanted to "do a movie with her."

"It’s a truly bully script, and I’m looking astatine it," she said. "I deliberation he’s a fantastic actor. One of the best."

There was different Bobby who did marque Houston swoon – Bobby Brown. In his book, Roberts admitted that helium had hoped Houston’s romance with the atrocious lad creator would extremity arsenic rapidly arsenic it started.

Whitney Houston won a Grammy Award successful 1988 for "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)." (Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty Images)

"I wasn’t unsocial successful my view," Roberts told Fox News Digital. "Bobby came from 1 element, Whitney came from another… you would ne'er deliberation that they could ever travel unneurotic successfully."

Whitney Houston with her ma Cissy Houston leaving the Parker Meridien Hotel successful New York City, circa 1989. (Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty Images)

"He could not travel up to her standards. . . . So she went down to his standards to marque him consciousness comfy successful her environment," helium claimed. "But erstwhile you looked astatine them, you couldn’t assistance but think, ‘These 2 radical don’t beryllium together, bash they?’"

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were joined for 14 years.  (KMazur/WireImage/Getty Images)

Houston met the ex-boy set subordinate astatine the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. They went connected to wed successful 1992. The national was tumultuous, and Brown was wide blamed by the property for introducing Houston to drugs. He denied the allegations successful his 1997 memoir.

Brown aboriginal insisted that Houston was not the squeaky-clean popular princess she was made retired to be.

Roberts claimed successful his publication that Houston was trying to support up with Brown’s atrocious habits.

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Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown met successful 1989. They joined successful 1992. (Ron Davis/Getty Images)

"In the 7 and a fractional positive years that I was with Whitney, I never, ever saw her [with] immoderate signifier of drugs astatine all, unless you see a Heineken and a cigaret arsenic a narcotic," said Roberts. "She was ne'er affected by [them] successful my presence. However, erstwhile Mr. Brown came into the scenario, the usage of alcohol, successful particular, became much profound, and that was self-evident."

Whitney Houston is seen present with her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, successful 2010.  (Adam Armstrong/Newspix/Getty Images)

"We were connected circuit successful Europe and each 2 days, the absorption squad would driblet 2 crates of Heineken and a vessel of brandy, oregon immoderate it was, successful the room, and 2 days aboriginal she’d beryllium excessively sick to travel out," Roberts claimed. "And that was the touring scenario, and that was . . . bringing her down, successful everybody’s view. It was not complimenting her. It was not helping her."

Brown and Houston welcomed a daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, successful 1993. However, the matrimony was plagued with problems arsenic the mates battled their ain demons.

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's matrimony was fueled by drugs and alcohol. Their divorcement was finalized successful 2007. (George Pimentel/WireImage/Getty Images)

During the marriage, Brown was arrested connected cause and intoxicant charges, portion Houston entered rehab connected 2 occasions, Biography.com reported. According to the outlet, Brown was arrested successful 2003 for allegedly striking Houston. She supported him successful court, and helium wasn’t convicted. The vocalist denied ever hitting her.

The brace separated successful 2006, and their divorcement was finalized successful 2007. But Houston continued to beryllium plagued by addiction. Her celebrated dependable deteriorated done the years owed to cocaine use, The New York Times reported.

Clive Davis worked with Whitney Houston since she was a teen.  (Larry Busacca/WireImage/Getty Images)

Brown discontinue hard drugs portion helium was incarcerated successful 2000, but helium continued to conflict with intoxicant addiction passim the years. He past spent clip astatine a attraction installation for intoxicant maltreatment successful 2020. In 2022, Brown, present 55, told Fox News Digital that helium is sober.

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David Roberts worked for Whitney Houston from 1988 to 1995. (Courtesy of David Roberts)

Roberts believed that those wrong Houston’s circle, adjacent aft her divorce, turned a unsighted oculus to her cause use.

"I was angry," helium said. "The woman was hurting. She needed help. And those radical who were successful a importantly amended presumption than I was to assistance her denied it to her. They denied it, successful my opinion, due to the fact that they were selfish and self-centered.

David Roberts said helium questioned Whitney Houston's narration with Bobby Brown. (Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

"This was a young woman whose dependable container paid their mortgages. No mode were they going to halt that… It was evident that drugs were impacting her. . . . She was losing power of normalcy. She was falling nether the unit of what everybody wanted . . . what the amusement manufacture wanted."

Kevin Costner starred other Whitney Houston successful 1992's "The Bodyguard." (Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection)

"It was a batch of unit for a young woman to bear," Roberts shared. "She was a parent and woman who seldom saw her hubby . . . it became unbearable for her. . . . How she broke was inevitable."

Roberts stopped serving arsenic Houston’s bodyguard successful 1995.

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"I got a call," said Roberts. "I was told, ‘Houston is not considering immoderate much planetary question . . . . If she changes her mind, we’ll fto you know.’ I deliberation that was astir apt the greatest, ‘Thank you, and you’re fired.’"

According to the Los Angeles County coroner's report, Whitney Houston was recovered look down successful a water-filled bathtub successful her Beverly Hills edifice room. A "white powdery substance" appeared connected aggregate surfaces, on with a spoon and rolled up paper. (REUTERS/Ethan Miller)

Houston passed distant successful 2012 astatine property 48. She was recovered submerged successful the bathtub of her edifice country a time earlier the Grammys. She died from drowning and the effects of atherosclerotic bosom illness and cocaine use.

Roberts said helium was heartbroken to perceive of Houston's death, but wasn't surprised.

"We were each to blasted – it’s conscionable a question of degrees," said Roberts. "Those who could person done thing immediately, those who could person done thing successful support, and those who could person done thing later. But we did nothing. We conscionable fto it go.

Whitney Houston arrives to "The Love of R&B" Grammys enactment astatine Tru Hollywood connected February 9, 2012, successful Hollywood, California. She died 2 days later. (Tibrina Hobson/WireImage)

"It’s the civilization – erstwhile you permission the environment, it’s similar you ne'er existed. You were ne'er there. . . . But I conscionable retrieve seeing her emaciated, trying to transportation connected and execute connected stage. You can’t assistance but think, ‘How could she look similar that and inactive beryllium alive?’ It was painful."

Whitney Houston is seen present connected signifier astatine Wembley Arena, London, circa 1988. It was the aforesaid twelvemonth that David Roberts began moving for the singer.  (Graham Wiltshire/Getty Images)

Roberts said that implicit the years, helium felt blameworthy for not speaking retired erstwhile helium suspected Houston was spiraling. He present hopes his communicative volition service arsenic a cautionary tale.

"I stay angry," helium said. "That's wherefore I'm speaking retired now. I see the full script a nonaccomplishment of excavation . . . I was paid to support her. There was an choler successful me, but penning this publication was cathartic. . . . Still, she should beryllium live now, and we should beryllium listening to her songs."