Ex celeb bodyguard reveals the biggest security mistakes you’re making

As a bodyguard to some of the world’s most famous stars, Simon Newton knows a thing or two about how to stay protected. 

The London-based bodyguard, whose past clientele have included Kate Moss, Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and even the late Michael Jackson, recently shared some tips on how to stay safe.

Simon Newton, 44, was in the military when he first ventured into the world of protection in 2003, and has picked up some tips on how to stay safe since then.

His advice is easy for all to achieve even without hired protection, including making sure that bags always have two straps and avoid wearing earphones out in public. 

He also stressed the importance of exercising caution when using a cell phone, advising users to stand back against the wall or somewhere where other people can’t get around you. 

‘As soon as you look at that phone, anything can happen around you,’ Simon said. ‘Someone can even rip it out of your hand, which happens a lot here.’

According to the former bodyguard, the hardest part of his job is controlling the crowd, explaining that sometimes it can get hectic very quickly – so he always has a plan in mind if the situation gets out of control.

‘I’d always make sure we could go into a shop,’ he revealed.

‘They have obviously been quite accommodating with letting you through different ways that you wouldn’t normally be allowed to go,’ Simon said.

He said even if it’s ‘100 happy fans’ that just want to see what’s going on, they still have to be managed. 

‘Because that can be dangerous and also for the shop,’ he explained.

He said that if it was a small store, he’d ask them to shut it for a period of time,  saying ‘nine times out of 10,’ people were very helpful.

‘Be a nice person, and then you’re more likely to get what you want,’ Simon advised. 

‘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 added.

In terms of providing protection for clients, Simon says there are noticeable differences between how he protects males and females.

If it’s a male, he explained he’d go into the bathroom with them, but for females he would shut the bathroom down.

‘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. 

Simon acknowledged that shutting down spaces can be inconvenient for the general public, but it’s necessary to protect the celebrities.

‘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,’ he said.

He also gave some context behind why celebrities are often seen dressed up when they leave the house, even to just run errands – pointing out a lot of them have a brand to protect.

He used Kylie Jenner and her cosmetic line as an example, pointing out if she stops looking and acting a certain way it could damage her label.

‘You might not care what other people think, but you might start caring when you lose a million on the makeup,’ he explained.

Simon recalled his rise from military to celebrity security detail, which eventually led to him protecting the rich and famous.

He explained he was in Iraq with the military when he was offered a job for a private security company.

After quitting the military to make the career change, he returned to the Middle East working for the security company before returning to London to take a job as a bodyguard for high-profile celebrities.

His first stint as a celebrity bodyguard began by chance while he was on a break from working in Afghanistan and was at home in London, and was asked to take a job to protect Michael Jackson.

‘I had just come home for a four-week holiday, and I got a call within that period by chance,’ he recalled.

In a previous interview with MailOnline, he described being the King of Pop’s bodyguard as ‘hectic,’ adding: ‘Any time you moved him around it was so busy all the time, so that became difficult. But because of that you wouldn’t move him around as much as someone else.’

Even though Simon only worked with the Thriller star for a short period of time while he was attending the World Music Awards, it piqued his interest in the world of high-profile celebrity bodyguarding. 

It wasn’t until 2010 when Simon returned to the UK for good and had set up his own security company that he began receiving requests from A-list clients.

‘I did used to pick and choose slightly on who I was looking after… but generally there wasn’t really any job too big,’ he said.

‘One of the first big ones I had after Michael was Kendall Jenner. I did quite a lot with the models because the modelling agencies used to always like to call the same guys.’

As well as Kendall, he also protected models Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss — although his most regular client was Bella Hadid.

‘I followed her for two to three years and I had a really good time, it was a really good job,’ the expert bodyguard said.

Although his job has been protecting celebrities, Simon is now on his way to becoming a star in his own right.

He’s acted in a number of movies and TV shows including Final Score and Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows.

Simon has also sparked interest over his fashion sense, with Vogue even writing a piece about the bodyguard’s snazzy clothing in 2018.

He’s also dipped his toe into fashion, and is preparing to launch a streetwear collection featuring classic bomber jackets that ‘never go out of style.’

Simon, who is now an actor, said despite many of his client’s worldwide fame, he wasn’t star stuck all that often.

‘Most of the time I have to Google people I don’t know,’ he admitted.