Whitney Houston's Regret-Filled Bodyguard Furiously Blasts Tragic Diva's 'Money-Hungry' Team For Refusing to Put Her Into Rehab: 'They Were Convinced It Would Tarnish Her Reputation'
Whitney Houston's bodyguard is filled with regret.
Feb. 1 2025, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Whitney Houston's real-life bodyguard is still furious with the late pop star's team for refusing to put her in rehab and get the help she needed before her tragic death.
RadarOnline.com can reveal David Roberts, the inspiration behind Kevin Costner's character, Frank Farmer, in the 1992 movie The Bodyguard, kept his relationship with the singer strictly platonic but cared enough about her to put his job on the line by exposing those who were giving Houston drugs.
David Roberts was the inspiration behind Kevin Costner’s character, Frank Farmer, in the 1992 movie 'The Bodyguard'.
In his book, Protecting Whitney: The Memoir Of Her Bodyguard, David, 73, claims music industry advisers did not send her to rehab because it would have wrecked her "clean-cut image".
Ahead of the release of his book, he said: "You and I should be sitting listening to her new records, but we're not, because it was allowed to happen. She needed help and was overwhelmed because of everything that was going on in her life, and her health did not come first.
"My anger and hatred towards those who had facilitated Whitney's ability to do this to herself was profound.
"Good heavens, I had talks with her team members about things. The argument back in the day was if one goes into rehabilitation, then one's reputation is tarnished."
Whitney Houston died in her bathtub at 48.
The six-time Grammy winner was found dead in her bathtub at 48 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles after taking cocaine on February 11, 2012.
In January, Costner posted a throwback photo of himself next to the Houston on Instagram as he turned 70, with the message: "This photo reminds me of how lucky I am to be getting another birthday. We lost such a light when we lost Whitney."
As the anniversary of the I Will Always Love You singer's death approaches, David is still trying to make sense of her passing.
He previously worked for the Metropolitan police, trained as a sniper, was involved in the Iranian embassy siege in London in 1980 and kept dignitaries safe.
At first, he turned down the bodyguard position because he had never heard of Whitney and was not keen on "looking after popstars".
Kevin Costner recently shared an old image of him and Whitney Houston, remembering their time together working on 'The Bodyguard'.
Just like in The Bodyguard, the singing sensation was constantly surrounded by crazy fans, including a heavily armed one who planned to kidnap her and others who thought they were married to her.
David says of the film: "It did, in reality, follow many of the elements that we, Whitney and I, have experienced, or to a lesser degree. You get fanatics around the world, and you have to keep them away.
"A man with a rifle or bomb is the most difficult threat to deal with. I carried a firearm wherever we went, whether it was legal or illegal."
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There were also "fans" who reportedly harassed Houston when she wanted to be left alone.
In 1991, three people looking for autographs clashed with the singer and her brother at a hotel in Lexington, Kentucky. David said he stepped in only to have a bottle thrown at him in the mayhem.
He recalled: "One guy was thumping Whitney's brother in the face and so I hit the guy once and he fell and went over the sofa.
"I'm now dealing with three of these people who are a threat. One of them was standing behind me and Whitney smashed a bottle of Heineken on my head.
"I turned around, grabbed him, picked him up and he was shouting, 'It wasn't me, it wasn't me'.
"The reality is I had been facing one of the other attackers and Whitney threw the bottle to hit the attacker. If the bottle hadn't hit my head, it would have smashed into the second guy's face."
