I was Kendall Jenner’s bodyguard – my biggest obstacle in protecting stars & a tip for using your phone safely in public
KENDALL Jenner's former bodyguard has shared his tricks for protecting A-listers — and what regular people can learn from his star-studded safety playbook.
Simon Newton has worked as a personal security guard for some of the most famous people in the world, from Kate Moss and Gigi Hadid to the late Michael Jackson.
Newton, who lives in London, has built a successful career as a former member of the military, professional bodyguard, and now actor.
He has worked with singers like Rita Ora and Halsey as well as high fashion models including Kendall Jenner, Naomi Campbell, and Bella Hadid.
The 44-year-old entered the occupation by chance in 2003 while stationed in Iraq.
"I got offered a job by a private security company in London to work in Iraq, but I was still in the military at the time, so I couldn't take the job," he told The U.S. Sun.
"But because they offered me a job, I left. Within a month, I was back in Iraq with a private security company."
His venture into being a celebrity bodyguard in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe began with Michael Jackson, whom he protected while he was on break from working in Afghanistan.
"I had just come home [to London] for a four-week holiday, and I got a call within that period by chance," he said.
He only worked with The King of Pop for a few weeks, while he was in town for the World Music Awards.
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"We didn't do a great deal. Mainly, we went out to get an outfit one night for his appearance, but it was all quiet," he explained.
Newton was told who most of his clients were in advance, but there wasn't a ton of opportunity to be starstruck.
"Most of the time I have to Google people I don't know," he admitted.
For Michael, they just said he was a businessman coming to London for a visit.
"That's kind of my first celebrity and that's how I kind of started getting into it," he added.
Throughout the field, he has also had to navigate scary and sometimes difficult situations.
He said the biggest obstacle as a personal bodyguard is crowd control.
"If you're on your own with someone in the crowd, it just gets too heavy too quickly," he said.
That is why he made it a point to always have a plan in mind wherever he went with his high-profile clients.
"I'd always make sure we could go into a shop. They have obviously been quite accommodating with letting you through different ways that you wouldn't normally be allowed to go," he said.
"If there are 100 people, there are 100 happy fans that just want to see what's going on, but it's still got to be managed because that can be dangerous and also for the shop."
If it was a small shop, he said he would ask if they could close for 10 minutes.
Newton advised: "Be a nice person, and then you're more likely to get what you want."
"Big department stores are a bit different but for smaller shops, we normally do that because it's better for the shop owner because of safety."
He said that "nine times out of ten," people were very helpful — but sometimes you came across that one who "doesn't really want to play," and they would just not go in.
When it comes to taking care of his male and female clients, there are also slight differences.
For a man, he would go into the bathroom cubicle with him, and for an influential woman like Bella or Kendall, he would often temporarily close the bathroom because "all of a sudden every girl has to go."
"I used to stand outside the door just for that few minutes, and if any women didn't want me in, I said: 'Sorry, but you just have to wait outside,'" he explained.
"Even if it upsets other people, unfortunately, that's what we had to do because people don't realize what you're trying to do, and they don't realize how unsafe it is sometimes."
Newton also defended stars for dressing to the nines for even the most low-key outings.
"I'm sure most of them, if not all, would love to just walk out their house one day in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and go for a walk and buy an ice cream," he said.
But he argued that the power of public perception can make a dent in their bottom lines.
For example, if Kylie Jenner stops looking and acting a certain way, he said, it could mean trouble for her cosmetics line.
"You might not care what other people think, but you might start caring when you lose a million on the makeup," he said.
Newton's safety experience doesn't just benefit celebrities, but also the average person.
He offered a few tips when out in public that anyone can use in their everyday lives.
- Make sure your bags always have two straps.
- Don't wear your earphones out in public.
- When you're on your phone, try to stand back against the wall or somewhere where other people can't get around you.
He added: "As soon as you look at that phone, anything can happen around you. Someone can even rip it out of your hand, which happens a lot here.
"Although I've stepped away from the industry, it seems to be getting bigger and bigger."
Over the last decade, Newton has acted in a number of movies and TV shows including Final Score, in which he doubled for WWE's Dave Bautista; Green Zone Thriller, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
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While working as a bodyguard, he was known for his fashion sense, dapper tailored suits or casual jeans and a T-shirt, which he always paired with a Hermes belt.
Now he is prepping to launch a streetwear collection, with a full range of bomber jackets, that "never go out of style."
