The new highly-anticipated new memoir “Protecting Whitney” will be released on January 28th. From former bodyguard David Roberts via Chicago Review Press.
The memoir details his years as Whitney Houston’s real-life bodyguard.
David Roberts was hired in 1988 for Whitney‘s UK portion of the “Moment of Truth” world tour. Accustomed to working for diplomats and Fortune 500 clients, David had reservations about working with a pop star.
(Billboard for Whitney Houston concert at Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 19th April 1988. Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns)
But Whitney‘s heart of gold won him over from the moment they met at Heathrow airport.
There’s a high bar for those who work in this business: you must be willing to die for your boss. Whitney Houston made that easy. David Roberts got to travel the globe with one of the most fun-loving and generous souls he’d ever met.
His memoir reveals heartwarming anecdotes of life with one of the world’s most recognizable stars, including privately shared moments such as the birth of Bobbi Kristina.
But there are also shocking and heartbreaking revelations. David was present for some of Whitney‘s most challenging ordeals. And he was helpless as he watched those who claimed to love and support her look the other way because they saw her voice box as a cash machine.
His heart was ultimately shattered as he witnessed her succumb to the one threat he could not protect her from: herself.
David Roberts provides both heartwarming anecdotes and some shocking revelations about the challenges Nippy faced from her inner circle – and herself.
David Roberts served in the Royal Air Force Police, became a police-trained sniper, and served as a sergeant on the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department of the Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard.
He was a professional bodyguard for twenty-five years. David Roberts continues his work as a management consultant in security and investigations and remains active in the field of risk management and loss prevention. He lives in Florida.
David Roberts, “Protecting Whitney” is a memoir, that is a gift to Whitney Houston fans. David shares a candid journey of his time with the greatest vocalist ever.
Ultimately, his love and respect for Whitney is what caused him his job.
We want to make it clear, “The Bodyguard” movie mirrored their time together without the romance. Despite what other outlets have stated, David is not saying the film was based on their relationship.
(1993: Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown with David Roberts in the shot)
Recently Aries from UB, spoke to the former bodyguard about the incredible legendary Whitney Houston and his new memoir honoring her.
David tells UB the details of his job and how Whitney‘s family helped fill a void for him.
He also shares what it was like working with Whitney‘s brother Michael Houston, and butting heads with Robyn Crawford.
(LOS ANGELES FILM PREMIERE: ‘THE BODYGUARD’ Photo by Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images)
David gets candid about his concern for Whitney‘s voice, and he shares why he feels Pat Houston and Whitney‘s estate, are exploiting her legacy.
In this interview we learn why Whitney was called “One Take Houston,” and David shares why he named a chapter after her classic “I Will Always Love You.”
If that’s not enough, David tells us if he felt Bobby Brown‘s presence helped or hurt Whitney and much more!
(Photo: Andrea Blanch)
UrbanBridgez.com: I’m very excited to speak with you! I just have to start by saying that I am the biggest Whitney Houston fan, since a child. So I’m a stan, as you would say. David Roberts: That in fact is the most important thing I think I hear from everyone. That I have been a fan since I was a child and I am still a huge one currently. Then therein lies the issue. Why are we not seeing her currently?
UrbanBridgez.com: Exactly! We’re going to get into that. But first off, I really want to thank you for such a great book, because I mean, we got everything. We got multiple fights, including Whitney throwing bottles. We got crazed fans, racial discrimination, Pat Houston selling pictures, Cissy busting out windshields. You riding horses with Whitney. I mean, you gave us Whitney fans so much. So thank you! David Roberts: Not enough, sir. Not enough. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
UrbanBridgez.com: No doubt. You were Whitney’s CPO, can you tell our viewers what that is? David Roberts: It’s not the general public’s perception of what a bodyguard is. A bodyguard is that, of course, they they protect a body at the at the level above that one has to take into into account risk, risk management, threat assessment. And it is a constant 24/7 type process.
UrbanBridgez.com: You talk about your relationship with Michael Houston in the book, who you speak highly of. Can you talk a little bit about working with him? David Roberts: Oh, my Michael and Whitney were two peas in a pod. They were inseparable. It was the most wonderful sibling relationship you could ever hope for. They were great. Michael, I think blamed himself at one time for potentially damaging Whitney’s vocal chords with a coat hanger when they were children playing around. But by the same token, his focus on life was on Whitney and making sure that there was someone there to look after her by his choice and his agreement, that was me.
UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, I love that. And then you talked about Robyn Crawford as well in the book and it seems like you two kind of bumped heads a bit. Looking back now, what do you think that was about? David Roberts: Well, in fairness, I don’t think you’ll find a single living person who did not at some stage or another, but heads with Robyn. That’s just the way it was. Robyn is a very, very strong, beautiful, beautiful woman, tall, a basketball player type individual. And her love for Whitney is undeniable. Indeed, she’s been on record as telling everybody the extent of that love. And I don’t doubt it. Whereas she wanted to go in a particular direction, Whitney, on the other hand, went in another direction. And I think therein lies the bugbear for Robin. It was difficult for her to be there and not be there if you understand what I mean. Be there, but not be as close as she really wanted to be.
UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, I like how you broke that down. Robyn was very special to Whitney. Switching gears, you talk about finding recording devices in flowers and the whole nine. What was one of the wildest things a fan attempted to do on your watch? David Roberts: Oh, I think it was in São Paulo, South America, Brazil. A man, which turned out to be that he was one of the local crew and he had been used through the day putting up the apparatus. In the middle of a song, he climbed up through the middle of the scaffolding and appeared and ran on stage. I had to take him off there. And I think that’s arguably the most damage I’ve ever done to an individual in that I snapped his wrist before I pushed him out of the door. But in fairness, it was South America was then a difficult environment, the enthusiasm for and the love of Whitney was like an epidemic. Once they saw her, they wanted to touch her. Once they touched her, they wanted a piece of her to take away. And that poses in and of itself, of course, the other person’s security problem.
UrbanBridgez.com: Exactly. And then I have to say, I was thrilled to see you speak about Aunt Mae in the book as I heard Whitney speak highly of her many times. Tell us her role and how she also protected Whitney at times? David Roberts: Aunt Mae was the, as I understand it, the first person to hold Whitney after her birth. And she was still there holding Whitney when I left in 1995, perhaps not at the same capacity as physically lifting her up. But Aunt Mae was her mother on the road. It was her mother in waiting. In fact, Aunt Mae was arguably more compassionate than her mother because her mother’s a tough cookie.
UrbanBridgez.com: You talked in the book about, losing your mother at a young age and your relationship with your father. Can you share a bit of how Whitney’s aunt and mom helped fill a void for you? David Roberts: I have never been exposed in any capacity throughout the world to family and the meaning of family and what it meant to the people who participated as members of that family. It was a total revelation to me. My upbringing, as you know, was not at all akin to that. And so it was an insight that I say even to this day warms my heart.
UrbanBridgez.com: That’s sweet. You say in the book: “At this point Whitney lost her poise completely. I had never seen her like that. She had to be held back from ripping the eyes out of the woman’s head.” Would you say Bobby’s presence in her life overall, helped or hurt her? David Roberts: You know, that is such a tough, a tough question. Because it’s a question that the people directly involved are better able to answer than I am. Yes, that to me was the most devastating of all the time that I spent prior to that, even afterwards when things were going not so well. That precise moment in time was, I don’t know, it was devastating. Was he responsible for that? I don’t know, I think at that time, more slightly, yes, before that time. I had learned how they conveyed their, or transported their needs. For narcotics from country to country to country. So when I found those three roaches in the ashtray in the mansion the morning before she sang, I was appalled. You don’t do things like that in the Far East. You put out to warning everybody on tour or on the tour pre-guide. Do not do this! They have no tolerance of it in Singapore. You’re done! Where are we going from Brunei? We were going to Singapore. And be that as it may, I have never seen her so desperately, desperately trying to recover what she had clearly knew she had lost. Her voice.
UrbanBridgez.com: You mentioned also in the book about the show where for the first time noticed her voice cracking. David Roberts: It was a hard time. Yeah, now when you say that her voice was cracking. Bear in mind…did you ever have the privilege and honor of seeing her sing gospel?
UrbanBridgez.com: Unfortunately never in person, but live on television. David Roberts: Singing live, it used to frighten me. She could draw on a note and hold that note until the vein in her throat was pumping. Oh my God, we’ve got to do all the show again tomorrow. She’s never going to do it again. And you know what? She came off stage, she was wrapped in towels and she was hoarse. The next day we went back and we did exactly the same again. And when it came to the gospel session, she lost it. She was away. She was with her God. And nothing or anyone can stop her from doing that. It used to scare the hell out of me.
UrbanBridgez.com: I love hearing that because it just seems so genuinely Whitney. Hearing you say that is great! Why do you feel that Pat and Whitney’s estate exploits her legacy? I will say I agree however. David Roberts: As I understand it now, please bear in mind, we’re going back to the last time I was with them or communicated them was with 1995. I have done that on purpose because of how it impacted me, it had very, very little to do with what went on there after. But sometimes you just can’t fail to see things because of the world media. And you have to see things that you can’t un-see, like the occasion that Mr. Brown came out in prison and he was greeted by Whitney, the occasion she got on stage and looked like a stick insect. Those are the things that I found difficult to comprehend. So the question you asked me related to Pat Houston and the estate exploiting her legacy. Yep. Pat Houston is a highly skilled commercial individual and she’s had an introduction into the music industry. I suspect like no other. And I had heard that there was this intent to make this hologram tour of Whitney. And to me, that’s just me personally and speaking from my heart, that just doesn’t cut it for me.
UrbanBridgez.com: Me neither. David Roberts: You know, if you can’t see the woman, if you can’t see the sweat pooling on the stage, where she’s singing and you can’t hear in your own ears. Or what’s coming out of her thoughts to you personally. Because she sang every word articulately because God had taught her how to do so. She sang that to every person there. She wasn’t singing to the crowd. She was singing to you. If you were in that crowd, that was what she did. So to actually have a artificial intelligence hologram thing. I’m old. So I have an aversion to this, it’s probably a lack of understanding of it, on my part. But sometimes you just can’t beat the real thing, right?
UrbanBridgez.com: Exactly! And then I have to say, Nippy fans like myself know you were let go because you wanted Whitney to get help for the drugs and stated that to her team in a letter. Looking back now, would you have a approached it different or would you do it the same way? David Roberts: If I’d have done this any differently and simply persevered and allowed it to go on, I could not live with myself. So it came to a point that, do I stand and catch this bullet? Yeah, I’ve got to. Somebody has got to because everybody else is dodging it. And at the end of the day, that was my job, right? I’m a bullet catcher.
UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, I definitely agree. On a lighter note, It’s been said how quick Whitney recorded her songs. Can you recall a time where you were with her when she recorded one of her songs in the studio? What memories can you share of Whitney recording? David Roberts: Yes, of course. That was the song for the Olympics back in the day, 88, 89, whenever it was. And we went to the studio on Oxford Street with Narada Michael Walden and I’m sure he can confirm this. But we walked in there and her song was to be “One Moment in Time.” And consistent with the norm, I stayed outside in the green room, off they went into the studio to record the song. I had a coffee and probably half a donut, and here they are coming out, and I thought, yeah, what went wrong? And then we’re going downstairs, we’re in the car, we’re off back to the hotel, and I spoke to Robyn and I said, what happened? She said, they call her One Take Houston. She gets there, she sings the song, and she comes home, and that was her. And of course, you know the result of One Take Houston in time in terms of its popularity throughout the world, right?
UrbanBridgez.com: No doubt! David Roberts: It took minutes, and that was it. And strangely enough, somebody sent me some, one of these mean things where somebody was denying that. Like oh, how could she possibly sing this unless, oh no, Robert’s mistaken. I was there! And if you don’t believe me, ask Narada Michael Walden. That must have been the easiest recording he’s ever done.
UrbanBridgez.com: That is so amazing. I have to ask you, what is your, I wouldn’t say favorite. What’s your Whitney go to song, when you just want to remember her? David Roberts: “I Will Always Love You.”
UrbanBridgez.com: Okay, I thought so by the chapter (both laugh). David Roberts: That inspired the I Will Always Love You chapter in the book. Without a doubt, that is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard anyone sing. The fact that she took that song, I think, from Dolly Parton, and she created it in the way that she did. Do you know how difficult it is to start off a song like that in acapella? She never once missed it. There was a time, I think later on as we toured after that, that there was a sound of a note from someone to give her the right pitch. As they went on and the strain and everything else that happened with all the shows that we were doing, we had a range of 790 days. That’s a long time. I mean, I have arguably the worst tour jacket that was ever created in history. And honestly, it has this 700, whatever it is, days of touring. I said, oh my, nobody ever wore it, of course, was that a thing?
UrbanBridgez.com: What did you love about Whitney the most before we wrap? David Roberts: The woman. Who she was, what she is, what she will always be is a beautiful young lady, articulate, intelligent, with the voice of an angel, a God-given gift that she exploited to our benefit. Ethereally, I’d like to know how she and her father and her daughter are doing up there. And now, of course, in the last months, she’s been joined by her mother. So the family are back together and not at all influenced by what goes on down here.
UrbanBridgez.com: What advice do you have for anyone that wants to do security for like celebrities? David Roberts: It’s tough. And the most important thing, away from the popular TV and film shows, is do not cross the line. Once you cross that line, you’ll lose your objectivity and then you become useless at that level.
UrbanBridgez.com: Well, that’s great advice. Is there anything else you wanted to share before we wrap up? David Roberts: I’m ever so grateful for the opportunity of being able to speak to you. As you probably have heard, this entire exercise was cathartic to me.
(Photo: Marc Bryan-Brown)
UrbanBridgez.com: Before we wrap, “My Name Is Not Susan” is one of my top favorite Whitney videos, so I loved the story in the book about being on set and pissing Whitney off (laughs). David Roberts: Oh, listen, no, no, no, no. Just before that, when you see the video of us. “I Will Always Love You” was made in an abandoned cinema in Los Angeles. And as she came off stage and we went back to her vehicle for us to go back to the hotel, she said, David, I’m pregnant. That’s a special moment too.
UrbanBridgez.com: Exactly. I could imagine you were like, what? And you didn’t notice at all before that. David Roberts: Oh, good heavens, no, no. no, no, not at all. Not at all. So again, I think I’ve mentioned in the book, my question of a girl or boy. And she said, “it’s a little girl.” I said, boss, you will have no more joy than you can ever have with a daughter. A daughter gives you all the joy you have. And though history perhaps proved that prophecy wrong, there were moments in time leading up to that, that I am certain she was patently aware that her daughter was her life.
UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, definitely. We could all see that. I love it. Well, I definitely want to thank you again, David, for taking time to speak with me for UB. I want to thank you for putting out this wonderful, genuine portrayal of someone who was admired by so many and we salute you for doing your job! David Roberts: Thank you for having me!
