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QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
WHITNEY Houston has long been rumored to have hidden her relationship with secret girlfriend Robyn Crawford on the set of The Bodyguard – but one of her co-stars believes she was just her "rock and best friend," The US Sun has learned.
The pop music icon took on the lead role of pop diva Rachel Marron in the romantic drama movie in 1992, which featured her smash hit song I Will Always Love You.
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Co-star Mike Starr, who played Rachel's original bodyguard Tony Scipelli, opened up about his relationship with Whitney Houston and his hopes for the new biopic on her life, which hit theaters on December 23.
Mike spent time with his mentor Kevin Costner, Whitney, and her assistant Robyn, and says it was no secret the women were incredibly close.
Veteran Mike is confident that the biopic, starring British actress Naomi Ackie in the titular role, will not whitewash her triumphant yet troubled times.
He believes it will make audiences appreciate her "spirit and talent."
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In an exclusive interview, Mike told The U.S Sun: "Whitney was the best. She had the entire package; the voice, the acting skills, and the naturally beautiful personality. The world did lose an angel.
"She wasn't cold or aloof at all; there was a warmth and a person who loved to laugh."
He added: "In this business, you work with a lot of people, but few have the impact and legacy that Whitney had on me. Her presence drew people to her."
Whitney lead a double life, where she was excited and fired up by work but distressed by the impact of fame, fans' demands, and media interactions.
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RUMORS OF A SECRET GIRLFRIEND
During filming in 1992, rumors circulated that Robyn was not just Whitney's personal assistant but her secret partner.
But Mike dismisses those rumors.
"Robyn was her confidante and she looked out for her. She was her rock and helped her cope with the times when she found it hard," he said.
"They were like sisters and best friends, always together off-set. If ever we went to lunch it was the three of us. I saw two best friends who supported one another.
"There were rumors that she was gay, but she told me how she had performed for a Saudi princess once who offered her millions to be her partner.
"I can't remember how it came up, but Whitney told me adamantly that being gay or bisexual was not her thing."
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Mike told The U.S. Sun what Whitney said to him about rumors that she was gay: "She looked at me: 'You know Mike Starr - I don't play that stuff.'"
He added that he "never connected Robyn as anything else other than a great friend and darling person."
Robyn, who has since spoken of their relationship, often had a video camera filming the star off-camera as she enjoyed personal moments of being on her first movie set.
Mike said it made Whitney happy having Robyn around, saying: "They were just there for each other."
Robyn revealed in her memoir A Song For You how the pair were physical before Whitney called off the sexual nature of their love in 1982.
"She said we shouldn’t be physical anymore, because it would make our journey even more difficult," Robyn wrote.
"She said if people find out about us, they would use this against us, and back in the '80s that's how it felt."
WHITNEY HOUSTON'S STRUGGLE WITH FAME
Mike feels that Robyn counseled Whitney as her fame grew throughout the 1980s and became overwhelming in 1992.
Recalling an incident that took place at a Miami hotel as Robyn, Whitney, and he were sitting together at lunch, Mike said: "These older people tried to come over and started tapping on the glass walls and did not stop staring."
Whitney, he said, "turned away from me, just perturbed at this treatment.
"I went over to calm things, but they had the nerve to say: 'She is so cold. I see what people mean when they say she is nasty.'
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"And I was like: 'What do you want her to sing and dance for you? Give her a break.' It was unjustified and untrue.
"I felt she faced that unnecessary intrusion and scrutiny, which must have felt like being in a fishbowl every day.
"Anytime we were together, Whitney was nothing but polite and had such patience, I never saw her mean, upset or snobbish."
He added: "She was often deeply perturbed by stories, even in the high-end magazines.
"One time she saw Newsweek and felt the piece was attacking her for no reason."
Mike also revealed that Whitney "felt there was different treatment towards her by some media."
He said: "There was a concern from her that there was an element of racism."
WHITNEY WAS CARING ON SET
One time on set, Mike told The U.S. Sun, Whitney made an effort with his youngest daughter, Nicole, who visited the production.
"Whitney could not have been kinder, sweet, and caring taking her into her private dressing room and helping her get a makeover," he remembered.
"She was just a natural, and you could tell she was ready to become a mom.
"She was very family orientated, and often her mother and father were on set."
Mike admits the most special day on set was Whitney leading an impromptu two-hour jam session - in between recording the famous I Will Always Love You performance.
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Mike joined co-stars Gary Kemp, Kevin Costner, and Bill Cobb to watch Whitney record the finale tune with her full band and music studio set up at The Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel.
"Whitney told me: 'Mike Starr - I am going to sing the song from the movie,'" he said.
"It was Kevin's idea to open it a capella. Even today I still get chills remembering standing there, hearing her sing without music.
"We were witnessing a moment in pop culture history, but we never knew.
"I was in shock at that opening vocal, I was so engulfed and lost in it and without over-intellectualizing it that scene captured the characters' love story.
"Sometimes there would be a break, where she would fool around with her band and sing.
"She'd call out to us: 'What do you want to hear rhythm and blues, Motown or gospel?' I witnessed something special - my own personal concert from Whitney."
Chuckling, he added: "For once I was silent, just frozen and fixated on what I was watching."
Other times when the cameras weren't rolling, Mike said that he and Whitney bonded over having a relaxed attitude and their love of joking around.
"I felt like Whitney was someone I'd known for years," he said.
"Whitney would laugh quite a lot as I was goofing around. I'm not saying I eased her nerves, but I feel that being relaxing in between the work did make the set a fun place to be."
LOOKING FORWARD TO WHITNEY'S BIOPIC
Mike said he was excited to see I Will Always Love You with English actress Naomi Ackie portraying his late friend.
"I know it won't be a puff piece or Hallmark movie, but I hope they emphasize the wonder and special qualities she brought to the world with her work and life," he said.
"Because of Clive Davis's history with Whitney, I know this guy is going to do it right.
"Honestly any of us can go through things and face our imperfections, but I hope this shows the real positives
"I want the film to show her talent and great spirit shone through.
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"Her demise has dominated the news for too long so I feel this film will change that story. Her star shone brighter than anyone will ever know.
"The negative nature of Whitney's career hopefully will be expunged and the world [will see] what a talent she was and [how] overcame the odds to be a star."
The Bodyguard was 1992's Christmas number-one film and album, going on to sell over 45 million copies worldwide.
"The film, soundtrack, and her career reached amazing heights," Mike recalled.
"It should have been the launching pad for her to appear in the biggest films of the decade."
MIKE STARR'S REACTION TO WHITNEY HOUSTON'S DEATH
But Whitney's life took a different path, and she ended up struggling with drug addiction and issues in her marriage to Bobby Brown.
"I met people who knew her and asked: 'Is she okay?'" Mike said. "They gave no straight answers.
"I never felt the stories were real. The Whitney I knew was a healthy, vibrant person who came from a church-going devoted family.
"Drugs didn't seem part of her DNA. When we were out, she never touched alcohol."
When Whitney drowned in her hotel room bathtub hours before her planned Grammy Awards comeback in February 2012, Mike said he was shellshocked.
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"I was destroyed. I had not seen her for twenty years, but it felt like a friend had died," he said.
"It is still difficult to think of her as having passed."
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