NZ bodyguard front-page news for US gossip rag

A former South Auckland police officer-turned-bodyguard has become the new cover-boy of America's biggest-selling gossip magazine, as over-excited gossips speculate wildly about his alleged relationship with the star of a reality TV show.

Ex-cop Steve Neild has been bodyguarding Kate Gosselin who, with hubby Jon, shot to fame in reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8, about life with their eight-year-old twins and five-year-old sextuplets.

But the US tabloids are reading much more into the relationship. Last week Neild was pictured on the cover of US Weekly with the headline "Her own secrets: Kate & The Bodyguard".

Neild's career - which has involved him protecting former US president Bill Clinton - started rather more modestly as a South Auckland cop.

Overseas reports have had him looking after the Gosselins since they became fearful of over-zealous fans in 2007. But recently, the trouble has been brewing closer to the crowded Gosselin home in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Jon's widely reported infidelity with 23-year-old teacher Deanna Hummel has kept tabloid writers busy while locals have begun to speculate about "public displays of affection" between Kate and Neild.

Reports say they have been "very physical, often touching each other . . . she was gently poking him, giving him love pats" at promotional appearances for the show.

Residents of their home town told US Weekly: "They seem very friendly for two people who are supposed to have a professional relationship."

And: "I never saw them kiss or anything. They just looked like they liked each other a lot."

Neild - described as "very funny, quick-witted and alert" - lives in Maryland with his wife and family, but reportedly "does not wear a wedding ring".

A woman who knew Neild as a senior sergeant at Howick in the mid-1990s told the Star-Times she was shocked on a recent trip to the US to see him at the centre of so much tabloid attention. But she was not surprised: "He's always been quite touchy-feely . . . Even if there wasn't anything going on between them [he and Kate] you could still see how the rumours could start. And of course she is rich."

The source said the suave lawman was ambitious and had always had a way with the ladies.

When contacted by US Weekly, Neild's wife Gina described rumours of the affair as being "ridiculous". Kate has also angrily dismissed the rumours.

Neild's profile on the website of Prudential Associates Risk Management and Security Consulting (where he is the executive vice- president) says he was a policeman in New Zealand for 19 years.

Here he specialised in counter- terrorism and dignitary protection. Since moving into security, says the website, he's worked on the Olympics, a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and protected the royal families of Britain, Thailand, and Brunei.

Meanwhile, Jon is said to have threatened to hire a private eye to comb his wife's closet for skeletons.

- © Fairfax NZ News