EXCLUSIVE: A former bodyguard who worked for Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Rita Ora, and the late Michael Jackson tells Reality Titbit what it was like ensuring the safety of one of the most famous members of the Kar-Jenner family.
Although Kendall Jenner grew up in the limelight as a member of one of the most famous families in the world, she’s still remained authentic in telling her fans how she struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. Her momager, Kris Jenner, put her anxieties down to having an overwhelming lifestyle – she’s a globetrotting model, after all. But, she and her sister have also suffered traumatic experiences at the hands of the media. During The Kardashians season 3, Kylie Jenner explained a scenario where a paparazzi lay on the ground in an attempt to get a photograph under her dress.
Kendall Jenner wasn’t ‘unreasonable’, says ex bodyguard
Kendall’s former bodyguard, Simon Newton, began his career in the military and served in the Iraq war. He hails from the south coast of England but his career has taken him around the world.
Simon has been based in London since 2008 which is where he spent time protecting many A-Listers as they went about their lives.
The private bodyguard worked with Kendall around 2015, when Jenner was 19 or 20 years old.
The Kardashians star received backlash last year for not holding her own umbrella and allowing a bodyguard to hold it for her, per Paper Magazine. Some people went as far as to say they were “disgusted” by the star’s behavior. But, Simon said he didn’t receive excessive requests when working for Kendall.
Perhaps it’s time to give the Kar-Jenners a break.
Simon told Reality Titbit: “Quite often we tend to hold people’s umbrellas anyway if it’s raining, you know, up high and out the way. Especially if theres paps that want decent photographs. Or, ladies might be carrying a bag. It’s only normally from the car to the building we’re going into, you’d only carry it for that short distance.”
Clearing up how Kendall really isn’t that much of a diva, he confirmed he isn’t carrying umbrellas for whole days out, it was nothing “unreasonable,” in his words.
She’ll never live a ‘regular life’
Simon delved into how people critique celebrities for not doing regular things, but he’s here to defend them.
“People say ‘oh Kendall Jenner wouldn’t get on the bus’ but she can’t,” he said.
“I’m sure she would love to some days, like everybody else, but she can’t. She can’t go on the underground on her own unless she’s hidden. It’s too dangerous, there are too many people, it’s not safe.”
During episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kendall and Kylie have been known to try and experience some form of anonymity in life.
One scene saw Kendall, Kylie, and Khloe Kardashian sit in makeup for hours so they could go out in disguise. The prosthetic noses and ears weren’t enough to shift Kenny’s anxieties though as she clocked a paparazzi during their outing and wanted to go home.
Khloe said: “I’ve spent six hours in prosthetic makeup, I’m still going on this tour.”
Touching on how an A-Lister like Kendall simply can’t do regular things, Simon added: “I think quite often a lot of them want to be able to just be a normal person and do what everyone else does but you can’t. Once you go past a certain threshold of fame, whether you like it or not, you can’t be doing those things.”
He continued: “I think people don’t realize how much of an infringement it is on people’s lives when you’re that famous.
“Obviously, you can make a lot of money out of it, which is good, but you also need a lot of money to be able to live your life safely. I can imagine some days you wake up and think ‘I just want to go to the shop and buy a bottle of milk in my pyjamas’, but you can’t.”
Simon told us how he accompanied Kendall and her model pal Bella Hadid to a Gay Pride event in London during his career.
He said: “That got quite busy and we got out the car, joined the parade for 10, 15 minutes, and then went straight back. Even by the time we were going back to the car there was tons of people following us, looking at us, and we’d only been out of the car 10 minutes, it was awkward.”
“Once someone gets spotted, you need the car close, you need to be going inside a building, a few safe environments you know you can go to.”
‘Don’t taunt the paps’
While there are upsides to fame, Simon reveals theres a real negative side to the showbiz world.
He explains how in all his years of being a bodyguard for Kendall Jenner, Michael Jackson, and more famous faces, he thinks “…a lot of it, I could soon get fed up with.”
He added: “If you’re famous without money it’s pointless because it’s not worth the infringement.”
In the UK, Europe, America, and Canada stars are instantly recognizable which means they rarely get a minute’s peace. But, Simon says “there are places in the world they can go” for privacy.
When it comes to the Kardashians’ attempt at grabbing lunch in prosthetics for a bit of peace and quiet, Simon told us: “…disguises work well sometimes, but you’re going out taunting the paps just to see if you can get away with it or not, it’s probably not such a good idea.”
Kendall Jenner’s bodyguard follows a different path now
Simon stepped away from being a bodyguard to the stars around five years ago. He still owns a private security company based in London.
He’s now ventured into the fashion realm and has a brand specializing in bomber jackets. Simon Newton London currently ships internationally. The brand is launching new garments in time for the summer including T-shirts, polo shirts, and, later down the line, a tracksuit will be on its way.
During the pandemic, Simon also tried his hand at acting and attended a drama school. After bagging a diploma in film acting, he’s written a film. He also has three films he’s starring in this year.
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