Celebs Who Got Romantic With Their Bodyguards
Something numerous celebrities have in common is the need to hire bodyguards for protection. Whether they need help from a potential stalker, need to respond to threatening letters, or simply need a moment of peace and quiet while out on the town, there's a good chance your favorite celebrities have bodyguards. This can be a constant thing or happen irregularly, but celebrity bodyguards often work for celebs in a purely business relationship.
That's how it's supposed to work on paper, but when you think about it, a celebrity's bodyguard is one of the few people with whom they spend a great deal of time. They can become friends, or if things progress, they can enter into a romantic relationship. Granted, this doesn't happen often, though rumors of bodyguards dating their celebrity clients do surface. Sometimes, celebs try to keep these kinds of relationships quiet, but the information often leaks out anyway.
In rare cases, a relationship between a bodyguard and their charge goes the distance, leading to marriage. Of course, this isn't the norm, and in most examples, a celebrity and their protector only remain together for a short time. Some celebrities openly date their bodyguards, while others are tangled in persistent rumors of similar liaisons. Whatever the case, something more was going on behind the scenes between these celebrities and those tasked with protecting them.
Did something happen between Kate Gosselin and her bodyguard?
Kate Gosselin skyrocketed to international fame as the star of "Jon & Kate Plus 8." Unfortunately, the two didn't stay together, and Kate officially split from Jon in 2009. At the time, Kate waved off dating to spend time with her children, and Jon engaged in a series of public relationships. Kate remained unmarried following her divorce, but like any celebrity, she's the target of relationship rumors, including one regarding her former bodyguard, Steve Neild.
Kate hired Neild in 2009, and the media has photographed the two on numerous occasions as they dine or move from place to place. It's hardly new for one photo to send the Internet reeling into a frenzy of relationship rumors, but there may be something to this one. Jon had his own thoughts on Kate and Neild's possible relationship, telling InTouch Weekly he believed they shared a hotel room when they traveled, leaving the children in a separate room.
Jon made similar claims on various programs, and it's clear he believes Kate and Neild had a romantic relationship. These could be the frustrated grumblings of an ex-husband, but they could be more than that. Still, neither party confirmed the rumors, and seeing as Neild is married with children, it's unlikely that will change. Regardless, the Internet keeps this rumor alive, and while Neild and Kate ended their professional relationship in 2014, that could have happened for various reasons, including a breakup.
Kim Kardashian dated Shengo Deane on Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Few celebrities have had their private lives exposed as fully as Kim Kardashian and the other members of her family. Of course, this is deliberate, as the Kardashian and Jenner clan built a lucrative career by shining a light on their lives. This made Kardashian one of the most recognized celebrities in the world, and like any popular figure, her dating life is tabloid fodder. Her relationships are picked apart for the world to see, but that isn't always a good thing for the men she dates.
One such gentleman, Shengo Deane, had a fairly rough go of things dating the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star. He began working for Kardashian as her bodyguard, but it didn't take long for the two to start dating. This wasn't something they kept hidden, and fans got to see how their relationship unfolded on the show in 2011. Their relationship wasn't without controversy, as Deane was married. According to his ex-wife, Zuzana Deane, he split from her to be with Kardashian.
Deane stopped working as Kardashian's bodyguard when they started dating, but he couldn't find work in Los Angeles. This created a rift between the two, and it couldn't have been easy to be unemployed while dating such a famous reality star. The strain was too much, and they drifted apart, or as Now To Love put it in an interview, he couldn't keep up with the Kardashians.
Heidi Klum got up close and personal with her bodyguard
Heidi Klum's relationship with her bodyguard, Martin Kristen, was controversial thanks to her marriage to Seal. While estranged, Seal accused Klum of seeing Kristen romantically, telling TMZ that Klum lacked class for "fornicating with the help." Klum didn't confirm her relationship until some time later, during an interview with Katie Couric on "Katie." Klum told Couric she was at the beginning stages of a relationship with Kristen, telling her, "I'm taking it one day at a time."
Klum expanded, explaining, "I've known him for four years, and he's been with our family for four years. He's cared for our entire family, mostly for our four children. He's helped us tremendously; he's helped our children. I trust him with my children" (via Hello!). Still, Klum denied rumors she cheated on Seal, explaining she didn't become romantic with Kristen until they separated.
After 18 months of dating, Klum and Kristen called it quits. A source close to Klum told People, "Martin was there for her during a challenging time in her life, and it was something she will always be grateful for." The only thing that the source didn't make clear was the cause of Klum and Kristen's split. After going their separate ways, Klum went on to marry Tom Kaulitz of the German band Tokio Hotel.
Princess Diana may have dated her bodyguard
If there's one thing that's a universal truth, it's that members of the British Royal Family are constant targets of tabloids and legitimate journalists. This is certainly as true today as it was decades ago when Princess Diana made headlines. Most of the time, Princess Di appeared in the papers for doing charitable things, but after her divorce from Prince Charles, rumors began flying about her alleged affair with Barry Mannakee, a police officer with the Royal Protection Squad.
Mannakee was also the bodyguard assigned to the Princess of Wales, and the two could be found in public for quite some time. This led to the appearance of impropriety, and as a result, Mannakee was removed from Diana's protection detail and reassigned. The relationship was never confirmed, and now that both parties have died, it's unlikely to ever be confirmed, but that doesn't eliminate the evidence.
In a taped recording with Diana's voice coach, Peter Settelen, the Princess revealed she loved Mannakee greatly and would have been "Quite happy to give all this up and to just go off and live with him," according to Tatler. Diana and Charles' marriage was the subject of numerous tabloids related to cheating scandals, so this is a rumor that could be true. Still, it could also be false, having been blown out of proportion in the years since Diana's death.
Did Britney Spears romance her protector?
Since blowing up in the late 1990s, Britney Spears' life has been on full display for public consumption. This hasn't always been good for Spears, who was placed in an involuntary conservatorship under her father for several years. Before, during, and after the conservatorship, Spears' dating history made headlines, and she's reportedly dated several notable celebrities, including Justin Timberlake, Jared Leto, and others.
One rumored relationship involved Spears' bodyguard, Lee, with whom the pop superstar was seen enjoying some time in the sun together. The pictures suggest a romantic relationship, as they appear to be dancing and holding one another close. When the shots hit the Internet, it didn't take long for news of Spears and Lee's relationship to make the rounds. Despite this, a source told People, "He's her bodyguard and manny. They're not dating" (via Today).
Another source told The Sun that they were dating, having hit it off immediately, and that he's just her type. Whichever story is true remains to be seen, and Spears has since married and divorced Sam Ashgari. That said, Spears has a history of dating her employees, and if the Lee rumors are true, he would be the fifth after backup dancer Kevin Federline, former manager Jason Trawick, former housekeeper Paul Richard Soliz, and Asghari, who appeared in her "Slumber Party" music video.
Pamela Anderson romanced her bodyguard
Pamela Anderson has dated and married many high-profile men over the years, and she's been married five times. Notably, she married and divorced Tommy Lee and Kid Rock, and her fifth husband, Dan Hayhurst, started as her builder and bodyguard on Vancouver Island, Canada. Before they got together, Anderson married and divorced producer Jon Peters, having remained together for less than two weeks. However, Anderson claimed their marriage was never official, as they didn't file the paperwork.
Regardless, Anderson didn't waste any time hooking up with Hayhurst, whom she dated throughout most of 2020. On December 24, 2020, the couple tied the knot, and the marriage was strong as far as anyone could tell. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, and the couple separated after a year before ultimately filing for divorce in January 2022. Anderson later told The Sunday Times that the marriage "was stupid, and I regret doing that."
Anderson further explained, "It was worse than any of them [prior marriages]. And I realized, 'Oh, my God, I'm caught up in this whole thing; what am I doing?" Ultimately, Anderson regretted marrying Hayhurst, telling Vanity Fair in 2023 that "It ended up being a disaster." Hayhurst was Anderson's first non-celebrity relationship in quite some time, and she didn't like being placed in a traditional housewife role. "I was just like a short-order cook. ... I was paying for everything, cooking, cleaning for everybody," so she called it quits.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is often talked about regarding her marriage and prior relationship with Ben Affleck, but he is not the only man with whom she has been involved. Lopez started seeing actor and model Ojani Noa at the start of her career, but after he followed her to Los Angeles, he couldn't find work, so he doubled as Lopez's bodyguard. By 1997, the couple married, but it didn't last long, and they divorced the following year.
By most accounts, Noa isn't the best ex-husband in the world, and he tried to publish a tell-all book about Lopez. He offered not to publish the book in exchange for $5 million, so Lopez sued and won. She stopped the publication of the salacious book and got it and all related materials, as well as $545,000 from her ex. In the years since, Noa has spoken out against his ex-wife and her mother, claiming not to be a bad guy.
Noa also tried to use private footage taken during their honeymoon for a documentary, but this attempt was similarly hit with a cease-and-desist from Lopez's attorneys. Lopez accused Noa of violating a confidentiality agreement, so she did what she could to undermine the video's release. This resulted in a $10 million lawsuit brought by Noa, which a judge ultimately dismissed.