Celebrity bodyguard – whose A-list clients include Michael Jackson and Kendall Jenner – reveals what the stars are REALLY like behind closed doors and who he’d NEVER work for

After traveling with British forces through the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, Simon Newton thought he had seen it all.

That is, until he found himself trying to get Bella Hadid into a Paris Fashion Week show unscathed.

Simon, a soldier turned famous bodyguard, is tasked with protecting the lives of his comrades and a host of wealthy and prominent clients.

Now, in an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Simon has revealed the secrets of his trade, including his interactions with Hollywood A-Listers and the clients he would refuse to accept.

His foray into the exclusive celebrity bodyguard business came when he was assigned to a Close Protection Team in Afghanistan and Michael Jackson’s team reached out to ask for his services.

Simon was one of five experts called in to guide the King Of Pop to the World Music Awards in 2006, with the singer’s fame making it difficult for him to get around.

And the bodyguard revealed just how far crazy fans would go to see Michael.

Fans pushed each other out of the way hoping to touch the singer, sat in black cabs all day with a running meter to follow Michael’s car, and booked expensive hotel rooms so they could sit in the lobby for a while all day. glimpse of the star.

“They’ve spent thousands and thousands of pounds,” he mused.

It is a phenomenon unknown to Simon, who is not easily impressed.

Michael was ‘good’ in Simon’s words. He was more focused on the job at hand than chatting with the star.

He revealed that he has never been one to envy his clients, explaining: ‘It’s just another job.

‘Whether you’re looking after a politician, a highly networked family or a celebrity, it’s all the same. They all have to wash and go to the toilet!’

Simon didn’t have time to think about Michael’s actions because he flew straight back to Afghanistan afterwards.

However, he will make time to watch the Michael Jackson biopic – starring Michael’s cousin Jaafar – so the singer must have made some impression.

Michael is certainly not the only star Simon has worked with.

Despite his relatively short foray into the celebrity bodyguard world, he managed to land clients including Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Naomi Campbell and Rita Ora.

Still, he insists he doesn’t have a favorite because he would only work with clients he got along well with.

“If I didn’t think it would be a good fit, I would say I wasn’t available,” Simon explained. ‘You are quite integrated into people’s lives.

With the exception of Michael Jackson, I worked alone every other time.

‘You get to see and be part of people’s everyday lives and it shows that celebrities are no different to anyone else.

‘They like the same things. They all cry, they all sleep, they all laugh.”

Although Simon could relate well to his clients, he revealed that there was one job he would always refuse to be a part of.

He said he would never tour with a rock band, explaining: ‘It wouldn’t be like me to be away for three or four months on a tour where they’re jumping up and down and crowd surfing every night.

It’s all the stuff that rock and heavy metal bands do, I don’t like it myself and in a job you have to integrate yourself into that lifestyle, so I would say I’m not available.’

Despite traveling the world and earning a decent income from his work, Simon decided to give up bodyguarding and co-founded specialist security company Askari Secure Ltd in 2009.

Simon revealed why he stepped back from the industry, explaining: ‘I just had enough.

‘I traveled all over the world for 17 years. I’ve done all the hostile environment work in countries like Afghanistan, and I was on ships doing anti-piracy work in Somalia.

‘I’ve worked all over Europe, South America and a lot of things in Britain, I didn’t think I wanted to do anything else in the industry.’

He added that he did a lot of his bodyguard work when he wasn’t on the clock: checking locations in advance for security concerns.

“It’s hard work and you don’t sleep much,” Simon mused.

While Simon spent time protecting those who appear in front of the camera, he has ambitions to follow in their footsteps.

He got his first role in 2010, playing a soldier in Matt Damon’s Green Zone and after enrolling in acting school, he focused on going to auditions.

After seeing the levels that crazy fans will go to to interact with their favorite celebrities, Simon insisted he has no desire to pursue “fame,” musing, “I just want to be able to do something I enjoy and earn a living from. That’s my main priority.’

Simon has also launched his own clothing collection, available at simonnewtonlondon.com