Michael Jackson’s bodyguard has shed light on what the King Of Pop was like behind closed doors.
According to Matt Fiddes, MJ knew the fascination with him would stop if
he wasn’t a ‘mystery’ in the public eye, forcing him to don surgical
masks and put tape on his nose to seemingly rouse suspicion.
Now choosing to defend his former employer – who died in 2009 –
following the release of controversial documentary Leaving Neverland,
Matt has revealed, perhaps not surprisingly, the superstar was just a
normal guy at home.
‘He knew how to manipulate the media. He knew exactly how to get the
front pages. He used to have a meeting as soon as he got to a [city],
Matt told Metro.co.uk.
‘90% of the time it worked, by putting a mask on his face, or sticky
tape on his hands – or tape on his nose was a favourite one. He would
say he wanted his life to be the greatest mystery on Earth.
‘It’s backfired on him now, though, that’s the sad thing.’
Matt claimed Michael – who was married to Lisa Marie Presley from
1994-1996 and later Debbie Rowe from 1996-1999 – ‘didn’t want the media
to know if he was gay or straight because he knew the fascination would
stop with the newspapers printing about him’.
He also claimed Michael, who had, and still has, a loyal following,
‘didn’t want to upset any fans’ by shattering the mystical illusion
around him.
Spending 10 years as the superstar’s right hand man, Matt continued: ‘He
never used to live with makeup on. I remember one time we were watching
TV at the [St Pancras] Renaissance Hotel in London and he wanted to go
to [illusionist] Uri Geller’s house for a curry. He asked for the cars
in an hour and he’s off getting ready, getting his hair done and he
comes out in the whole image, the mask and fedora, the whole works.’
But to Matt, who now owns worldwide chain Matt Fiddes Martial Arts, back
at home Michael was more about a ‘glass of wine, bottle of wine, he’d
be swearing, he’d be a normal guy.’
He continued: ‘He was super intelligent, couldn’t sit down and watch a
movie because he’d analyse every angle, very mistake the director made.’
According to Matt, the public thought they knew what Michael was like, but ‘unless you knew him’ you had no idea.
Claiming ‘this whole paedophile thing is complete nonsense’ Matt
continued: ‘The guy had girlfriends and had a legitimate marriage to
Lisa Marie, that was the way he lived his life.’
Of the claims made by James Safechuck and Wade Robson in the HBO
documentary, that won an Emmy recently, Matt insisted it was
‘impossible’ for Michael to have done the acts he had been accused of –
mostly because he was ‘hardly’ at the Neverland ranch, where the alleged
incidents took place.
‘They say there were boys around, that was not the case at all. He made
Neverland how it was so he could have it for the Make A Wish foundation;
something he could give back on,’ the bodyguard and celebrity trainer
said.
‘We had a running joke he was never there. He had to be in Los Angeles
to conduct business, it’s about four hours’ drive from the mountains and
he hated the drive, so he was very rarely there. He was there to make
public appearances. He was much more comfortable at the Beverly
Wiltshire in a suite.’
He continued: ‘If he was doing what he was doing to young kids he would
never get any work done. He was already recording, performing and
rehearsing, for him to be messing around with young kids would be
impossible because of the security that was in place. It’s impossible.’
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