You may or may not recognise the name Simon Newton, but one thing is for sure you will definitely recognise the face of this celebrity bodyguard who regularly hangs out with top celebrities such as Rita Ora, Naomi Campbell, the Late Michael Jackson, and Bella Hadid to name just a few.
And not only this, Newton who owns a Private Security Company Askari Secure Ltd in Central London is also a budding actor in the making.
Well-dressed, handsome and charming is there nothing this man can do? We had a talk with the all-action man about what keeps him in shape and on point when looking after his clients.
What’s a typical day for you when you’re protecting your clients?
The simple answer is every day is different. There are lots of factors that contribute to a day as a bodyguard, who you might be looking after, where in the world you are, a hostile environment or maybe not so, the type of threat for that particular person, do they ski, do they horse ride, do they like to go jogging in the mornings, do they like to shop daily, are they always at the office daily, are they a low profile character or high profile, the list goes on.
You must sometimes have to make quick decisions, is there anything you practice to keep your mind sharp?
Not really, I make decisions every day while running my Private Security company Askari Secure Ltd so making decisions comes fairly easy to me. It doesn’t mean I always make the right ones but who does?!
What is the most difficult situation you have had to face?
In the UK the threat on most jobs is pretty low. Normally over-excited fans or stalkers can cause you a problem, but I haven’t really ever felt threatened by that, the situation just needs to be managed properly and swiftly.
I used to be a bodyguard in Iraq for a U.S. oil company and the British Government (FCO) in Afghanistan. Overseas is a lot different, some days could be fairly quiet other days you could be fighting for your own life. Unfortunately, not all Bodyguards working in the Middle East get to come home. Losing your life is the ultimate sacrifice for any bodyguard.
How do you find time to keep yourself in shape on a daily basis?
I normally train twice a day. Cardio before breakfast then gym (weight training) and cardio at some stage in the day depending on what time I can get to the gym.
At weekends I train once a day but always try to train seven days a week dependent on work.
Who has been your favourite client to look after?
To be honest I don’t really have favourites, most if not all the people I have taken care of over the years have been a pleasure to work for. I have always been treated well.
At the end of the day, I have always been a freelance bodyguard so it’s totally up to me if I choose to take the job on or not.
And who has been the most difficult?
Same as above ha ha. One thing you do have to remember is you can be with these people 24 hours a day 7 days a week sometimes.
Naturally some days your principal might be stressed or tired and maybe a little difficult that day. But know more than you and I are likely to be spending that much time around a non-family member. If the bodyguard is tired and stressed or just having a bad day – you still have to be super pleasant.
If you could look after one celebrity past or present who would you choose?
I would think President Trump. To run a Security Team that size, for such a high-profile figure and with what would seem an endless budget. That would be a rewarding challenge even after being in the industry 17 years.
Is protecting celebrities harder with people’s use of social media these days?
Social media has its good and bad points in every walk of life. Although more often than not it is important for the celebrity to have a good social media presence but it can be troublesome for the bodyguard if not used correctly.
General rule of thumb is DO NOT post anything until you have left the location and are 100% not going back there. That goes for everyone in the crew not just the celebrity. If everyone can stick to that then social media isn’t such a problem.
Due to your muscular size, do you have bespoke fitting clothes or is there a go-to high street or online brand you can trust?
All my suits are tailored, being a bigger guy with a 44inch chest and a 32 waist it’s tough to get the jacket to fit properly.
I don’t choose a particular brand for suits, but all my suits go for tailoring, so they fit correctly. Everyday clothing I wear a mixture of things, I’m pretty big on designer brands, I guess. Big on watches and belts also.
Stretch-fit jeans normally Replay, and most of my shirts and t-shirts are fitted. My day-to-day clothing could be anything from Tom Ford and Gucci to Nike or Adidas, although I only wear any sort of sports clothing while in the gym.
Have you got a favourite piece of gym wear?
As the winter is almost here I have just got some Nike Tech Fleece Jogging Bottoms, they’re pretty cool.
How do you unwind after a stressful day at work?
Normally go straight to sleep. Sleep is a commodity for a bodyguard, you wake up before the principal and go to sleep after.
Often you may only get 4 hours to sleep before you start again. So, unfortunately, there is very little time to unwind. Equally, if you are someone who can’t work well under pressure with limited sleep and it makes you stressed then this job probably isn’t for you.
Is there a meal you won’t eat in case it makes you sluggish on the job?
I keep my diet pretty strict, I’m 40 now so keeping in shape isn’t getting any easier. I eat 6 to 8 times a day. If I stay away from anything, I don’t eat carbs Monday to Friday.
On weekends I’ll overload with clean carbs though. On Sundays I’ll have a cheat meal (not day) but the rest of the week I keep it clean. If I try to cut anything out totally it would have to be sugar.