Thirteen years ago this month, we lost one of the greatest voices of all time. I can still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. 💔

This memoir, written by Whitney Houston’s former bodyguard, offers an inside look at what it was like to protect—and befriend—her at the height of her career. It’s easy to see how The Bodyguard (1992) was loosely based on Roberts’ real-life experiences. 🎥

The audiobook, narrated by Gildart Jackson, is especially fantastic—his voice adds so much depth to the story. While the tone does lean a bit self-congratulatory, it’s still a fascinating peek behind the curtain of fame.

🎤 If you’re a fan of music history or celebrity memoirs, this one might be worth a read!

Thank you to the Author, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Protecting Whitney is David Roberts’ memoir as Whitney Houston’s personal protective officer and security consultant, more simply her bodyguard from 1988 to 1995. This was the height of Whitney’s fame and the beginning of her downfall. Roberts takes us with him as he recalls the fun and uninhibited moments he shared with Whitney. Fans will feel like they know her heart and soul even more than what she shared with us through her music. Then our hearts break together as Bobby Brown enters the scene, Bobbi Kristina is born and Whitney starts to spiral. The only thing Roberts couldn’t save her from is herself.
Highly recommend this book for Whitney fans. She comes to life in Roberts authentic retelling of memories together and his love and respect for her is evident. Those interested in personal protection will also enjoy the book as Roberts shares a number of his tactics and strategies.
Gildart Jackson does an excellent job bringing the Welshman Roberts to life. I thought the writer was narrating, his accent and emotion were so convincing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me a reviewer’s listening copy of Protecting Whitney. In exchange I offer my honest feedback.

This was a really bittersweet memoir, but one I could not stop listening and thinking about. Whitney Houston was truly the voice of her generation, with such a unique gift and a soul piercing sound. David Roberts, her trusted and loyal bodyguard shares his experience and time looking after Whitney during her rise to stardom and ultimate fall.
Roberts shares the perfect amount of juicy deets while still remaining loyal, trusted and respectful of Whitney’s memory. This was such a tragic story. This unfortunate loss could have been easily avoided, if the people who claimed to love and care for Whitney, saw her as less than a cash cow and more for the deeply troubled young woman with tremendous heart and soul.
While I did enjoy the audio narration, I felt the author’s voice sounded grandfatherly, and lacked the emotional and physical heat given the seductive nature of the story. I wanted to hear a more passionate and tender tone. I still highly recommend listening to this moving story.

I listened to the audiobook ARC of Protecting Whitney by David Roberts thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. This memoir introduced us to Whitney Houston’s long time bodyguard and gave us a glimpse in the rise and fall of one of America’s best talents. It was heartbreaking to hear how Whitney’s inner circle took advantage of her and contributed to her eventual death. David seemed to truly love her and care about her well being more than just the money she was bringing in. The narrator had an excellent accent and made the audiobook quite enjoyable.

I absolutely loved this book! I am a huge Whitney fan and was devastated to see her demise and premature death 13 years ago this week.

David Roberts was her real life bodyguard, including throughout the period she was filming The Bodyguard film and it seems there were some similarities; a close friendship that can only come from spending so much time together, an almost sibling relationship at times, when they annoyed each other, a mutual respect, and yes, he took a bullet for her! It's clear that Mr Roberts adored Whitney and his portrayal of her shows her to be a genuinely lovely person, but the connection she felt to Bobby Brown, despite the horrific way he treated her, seems to be unbreakable and there are some people who clearly didn't try hard enough. I was sad to hear how, despite their closeness, after David was told he was no longer needed and left, he never heard from Whitney again: her demise was seemingly too far along for her to be able to communicate in the way she would have done before she became drawn into addiction.

The narration by Gildart Jackson made me genuinely believe it was David Roberts himself speaking to me. He has an excellent Welsh accent!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, David Roberts and Dreamscape for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Protecting Whitney The Memoir of Her Bodyguard by David Roberts
Audio Version
Overall Grade: A
Information: A
Writing/Organization: A
Narration: A
Best Aspect: Very telling, raw, and honest. Heartbreaking. I cried at the end.
Worst Aspect: I wanted more stories.
Recommend: Yes.

David Roberts served in the Royal Air Police Force, 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 also a bodyguard for twenty-five years, working alongside Whitney Houston for six of those years. He is now in his 70’s and lives in Florida. Listening to this book it really feels like he cared for Whitney. He talks about traveling the world protecting her. The shows, her voice, the influences he didn’t think were good for her. This was a quick read and I was immediately pulled in. 4 stars.

Protecting Whitney is a memoir about her real-life bodyguard, David Roberts. Being that close to Whitney to see the toll drugs were taking on her, and her talent being sacrificed because of it, must have been such a toll for David to bear witness to. Whitney was a beloved celebrity by many, especially those of us in the 1980s and 1990s, To see her decline was sad. Thank you to David for sharing his experiences. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscrape Media for an advanced reader copy.

The media like to build up a star so they can sell more stories when they tear them down. - David Roberts

Whitney Houston was an American singer, actress, and film producer. Known as "the Voice", she is one of the most awarded performers and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of more than 240 million records worldwide. She had the voice of an angel. 

Hired in 1988 for Whitney's UK portion of the Moment of Truth world tour, David Roberts became her bodyguard. A job that requires one willing to literally die for their boss.

Protecting Whitney by David Roberts is his story and it is an absolute beautiful tribute to Whitney as he saw her for who she was and not just as he put it; a cash machine.

If you are a fan of Whitney Houston or even the movie The BodyGuard, then you would enjoy this book. Not only does David give the reader an inside look at who Whitney was beyond the stage and microphone, he also highlights the work involved in being a bodyguard and what is required to protect those who pay them to do so.

David's voice was so easy to listen to. He revealed so much from his perspective without feeling like an intrusion on Whitney's life. You could feel how real and honest David was in his retelling of what happened.

This may seem weird, but I would like to thank David for sharing his experiences. I could feel how he truly cared for Whitney - at times it seemed like he might have been one of the few that cared more for her than what they would get from her.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced audiobook of Protecting Whitney. If you grew up with Whitney’s music and loved the movie The Bodyguard you should find this story interesting. The dedication and compassion the bodyguard has for protecting her was heard throughout the story. The narrator, Gildart Jackson was amazing that you really felt it was David himself narrating the story.

Book Review: Protecting Whitney by David Roberts

Kevin Costner may have immortalised The Bodyguard on screen, but David Roberts was the real deal.

In Protecting Whitney, he draws back the curtain to reveal what it truly meant to safeguard a global superstar, offering gripping, behind-the-scenes revelations of his years as Whitney Houston’s Close Protection Officer (CPO).

It’s clear throughout the memoir that he deeply admired Whitney, who he affectionately called Boss not just for her God-given talent but for the person she was beyond the spotlight.

Their bond was built on genuine trust and mutual respect—a stark contrast to many in her inner circle who, like the entourage surrounding Britney Spears, seemed more focused on cashing in than on caring.

A sobering look into the darker side of celebrity, David was prepared to pull a Frank Farmer and take a bullet for Houston throughout his seven years (1988-1995) spent by her side. Thankfully, he never had to, but he was there for the highs and lows, including the birth of her daughter Bobbi Kristina and her initial downfall. You can feel his heartbreak even after all these years that he could not save her from herself.

📚

Narrated by Gildart Jackson, this was my first experience with an audiobook where I felt compelled to adjust the speed to 1.25x. His voice work felt commanding but better suited to the classics.

Whitney Houston was pop phenomenon, larger than life and had a voice that was known around the globe. However, for David Roberts she was "boss" and a genuine person.

David Roberts was Whitney's bodyguard, the real one, from 1988 to 1995. He was there from her UK tour, to the filming of The Bodyguard, to the birth of Bobbi Kristina. Before accepting this job, he had to listen to her music because he didn't know who she was. David writes from a place of love for Whitney the human and not the pop singer. The book follows Whitney's career while David was her Chief Protection Officer, but he also shows us that when she wasn't in the spotlight, she was like a normal kid. It was clear throughout the memoir he truly admired Whitney.

Their relationship was founded on trust and mutual respect, standing in contrast to the individuals in her inner circle who appeared more interested in profit than in genuine care for her. You can sense his pain after all these years that he couldn't save her.

I really appreciated the story behind the song "I Will Always Love You"; it definitely brought tears to my eyes.

David also shared a little of himself in the book, about his failed marriages, and his daughters health issues. It was genuine, unfiltered, and sincere.

I highly recommend listening to this memoir; it truly captures the emotions the author intended to convey.

I received an audiobook ARC via Net Galley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review. My opinion is my own.

4✨ Books about people who are no longer with us are often difficult for me to read. However, when I had the chance to pick up this one, I couldn’t resist. The book treated Whitney with kindness and respect, and it was clear that David genuinely cared for her and wanted the best for her. As he shared personal moments with Whitney, I could truly feel his pain and, in turn, gained a deeper understanding of her. She was an extraordinary artist, but more than that, she was a woman let down by those who were supposed to protect her and prioritize her well-being. While the book was short and easy to read, it did have a somewhat dry tone.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

3.5/5 stars.

This is a book about Whitney Houston, written by her bodyguard. It is a story about how everyone around her failed to protect her and used her as a cash machine.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I liked the narrator's voice and reading.
I also enjoyed the story itself—the timeline was nicely built, and different interesting anecdotes were described, making the story fit piece by piece, like a puzzle. Sometimes, writing can seem chaotic with stories like these since a lot of different events are patched together, but this book flowed effortlessly.

It's a tragic story. I won't get into analyzing if everything is true or if everything happened exactly the way it was described because I can't judge that. I am only talking about my experience with the book and the story presented.

I was bothered with all the covering of the sexual abuse mentioned in this story, and how nonchalantly it was described, even by the author himself. Like it was just a nuisance in preserving the star and her circle's reputation. These instances appalled me the most.

I also understand that this is just one side of the coin. While the author constantly mentioned how others who tried to do something, didn't do enough, he himself also participated in a lot of enabling activities. People do things for various reasons, and while the author has a lot of explanations for his side, there is none of that extended to others. Ultimately, you can not save someone that doesn't want to save themselves. But that is just my take on it.

Overall, I really did enjoy this audiobook and found it both tragic and informative.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC audio. As someone who grew up listening to Whitney and loved the movie, I didn’t know much about her life with the exception of her drug abuse and death. This was very eye opening as I never knew The Bodyguard was loosely based on her life with her actual bodyguard (minus the sex and guns, of course). She was a wonderful and beautiful person and her death and her daughter’s were tragic and heartbreaking.

The story of Whitney Houston’s rise and fall has been told many times over, but this was an interesting vantage point. David was her bodyguard for 7 years during the peak of her career and kept her safe from external harm, until it was clear that he could no longer help protect her from herself.

This was such a sweet touching tribute to Whitney from her bodyguard. You can tell how much he really cared for Whitney and protected her at all costs. It details his start with Whitney being hired during her European leg of her tour in the 1990s and follows the journey and friendship that formed between Whitney and him throughout her career. There are several behind the scenes stories that have been told but interesting to hear from David’s point of view. I thought it was captivating and interesting to read. The audiobook was narrated by Gildart Jackson. Easy to follow and was pulled into the way the details were told. Such a beautiful look at Whitney from someone who really cared for her.

3.5 stars

In Protecting Whitney, former bodyguard David Roberts offers a firsthand account of his years safeguarding Whitney Houston—not just from external dangers, but also from the people closest to her and, ultimately, from herself. His deep care for her is evident as he recounts the emotional toll of witnessing her struggles with fame, addiction, and personal demons. The memoir sheds light on how those in her inner circle prioritized their own interests, allowing her downward spiral to continue unchecked. Featuring behind-the-scenes stories and lesser-known details, the book provides a sobering glimpse into the darker side of celebrity. While the narration can feel a bit dry at times, it remains a compelling and revealing read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Protecting Whitney by David Roberts offers an eye-opening behind-the-scenes look into Whitney's life and career. While I never ranked her as highly as Mariah, Whitney's many classics still resonate with me to this day. The book left me shocked and saddened by its revelations, which I found quite intriguing. However, I couldn't help but notice David's excessive braggadocio, which often had me rolling my eyes. This is why I deducted a star.

Gildart Jackson was an entertaining narrator that kept me engaged.