‘I WENT TO LONDON WITH 300 POUNDS, NOT KNOWING THE LANGUAGE’ Goran Dželatović: ‘I was Madonna’s, Prince Harry’s bodyguard’
MY LIFE STORY
He grew up in Voždovac and today lives between Monte Carlo and London. He is a big fan of Red Star and a man who moved to England more than 25 years ago. He became famous in his homeland as the bodyguard of major world stars. He guarded Bill Clinton and Kobe Bryant, as well as a member of the British Royal Family. The only dream he hasn't fulfilled is to become an actor and play an action hero like his great friend Bata Živojinović
The first memory I have is of the Rajko Mitic Stadium. I was maybe four years old then. My father took me to a football match. I don't remember who Red Star was playing against... The stands were full of flags. I remember the walk from our house on Milana Raspopovića Street. We walked there and back.
I was involved in sports my whole life. First, like all kids, I played football. I had a wonderful childhood. It was still the time of Josip Broz Tito. There were no problems. We lived well and happily. Even when there was a derby between Partizan and Red Star, there were never any problems...
Growing up
In the early eighties, you had to be good at school or sports. I never liked studying, so I chose sports. I trained in two sports simultaneously, football and hockey. I first trained football for Mladi Proleter, then moved to Obilić, and I played hockey only for Red Star.
Belgrade was a different city then... There were no skyscrapers. There were many old shops, hairdressers, barbers, and pastry shops. We loved a particular pastry shop near the old Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, where we played football as kids. We walked everywhere. You didn't need a car; there weren't these traffic jams, so many buses and lines, those didn't exist then.
Why I didn't become a Pioneer
The subjects I liked the most in school were physical education and recess. We loved playing football. We divided into teams. There were no divisions between Red Star and Partizan; we chose big European teams. We drew their crests and had tables... I also remember school for not becoming Tito's Pioneer. I was punished on that day. My blood sugar dropped, so I went to the kitchen and took a can of chocolate cream. The teachers caught me. Not my teacher, but the wife of my teacher. And then they punished me. I wore some boots because I always stood out with my clothes even as a kid. I jumped over the counter and went into the kitchen to eat something. They knew it was me from the boot prints I left. The punishment was that I couldn't become a Pioneer.
An old Belgrade family
My father was from Voždovac, and my mother from Dušanovac. My family was an old Belgrade family. In winter, my friends would go to their grandparents in the village, and I had one grandma in Dušanovac and another in Voždovac. I missed not having someone in the countryside. My friends talked about playing with farm animals at their grandparents'. And when they asked me: "Goran, what did you do? Just dragged sleds up Voždovac along Milana Raspopovića Street..."
How I got my nickname
My parents gave me my name. It was popular at that time. My older sister is named Gordana, so we were a tandem. My surname, they say, originates from Herzegovina. I've heard various stories. However, my research always showed we were from Voždovac and Belgrade..
Today, most people know me by the nickname Shark. The story of how I got it is too long for this interview. The English are making a film about me, so we'll clarify that.
How I became a bodyguard
The job that changed my life started by accident. I went with a friend to keep him company at a bodyguard training. During the training, a policeman recognized me and forced me to train with them, and that's how it all started. If I hadn't gone to Zemun that day, who knows how my life would have turned out.
Leaving Serbia
I went to England without knowing the language. My first apprenticeship was in Greece. I worked in a club called Monaco, where seasonal workers from all over the world came. There was one girl from Australia. Everyone wanted to be with her. Now, I had a barrier because I didn't know English, so I wasn't interested in her. Everyone chased her, and I was the only one who didn't try to approach her. However, maybe that's what interested her. Why wasn't I interested? So, she became interested in me. One night she came to the club and asked in English if I could give her a lift home. On a motorbike. Now. I didn't know what "Can you give me a lift?" meant. I went to my friends to ask what it meant. One of them told me: "Don't be silly. She wants to go to some hotel to ride the lift." And I thought she was crazy.
London
I went to England for a great love. I only had 500 marks in my pocket, which was about 300 pounds. I remember paying 50 pounds for a room. The travel card cost 15 pounds and was only valid for the first and second zones. After the first week, I had less than 200 left. My goal was never to make money. First, I worked as a kitchen helper, then later started working on the doors of clubs.
City lights
And see, what's most interesting is that in November that year, when the lights are turned on in London, some celebrity always comes to do it. My girlfriend's best friend took me out that night to show me the city. There were millions of people on the streets. I asked him: "Igor, is it like this every day?" "No, today they're turning on the lights." And as we were pushing through the crowds, we ran into the Spice Girls. That was my first encounter with that world. I passed the security and found myself face-to-face with them. I watched them get out of the car. That was the first time I heard about them. Later, I had the opportunity to hang out with them. I had a contract with them around 2007.
First big job
My first job with celebrities started in the nineties when the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was filmed, starring Jason Statham. After filming, he came to the club where I worked, and that's how I met him. After that, he offered me a job. In the meantime, I met actor Tamer Hassan, who is still a very good friend. I immediately bragged to him that Jason was in the club, to which Tamer replied that one day Jason would be one of the best actors. Everything started with Jason, and after that, thanks to numerous recommendations, I guarded many public figures. Many people have passed through. Now, to be honest, I can't even remember some of them. To me, it was just a job. I wasn't even aware of how famous and popular they were. My mind was set on making money, surviving, sending money to my mum in Belgrade, and bringing her to London. That's what I thought about. Whether they were popular didn't interest me at all, nor did I look at that side of the coin.
School in China
I don't like to talk about humanitarian work. I'm proud to have helped build a school in China. In the town of Lianjiang, I built a new school and library, named after my daughter Liliana Dželatović. We renovated and expanded the school buildings and built a football pitch and a basketball court.
The idea to help the schoolchildren came after a conversation with a Chinese friend from Lianjiang who lives and works in London. We talked about children; he and I both have children, and he told me how in his hometown, children have tough conditions in school, starting with the fact that the classrooms don't even have floors... Just dust, dirt, mud... I told him we could organise an auction to sell all the football shirts I've collected over the years, which are very valuable because they have autographs of great world football stars. I also sold valuable memorabilia from Kobe Bryant and Novak Djokovic. I don't regret it. We opened it a few years ago, and I'm now its lifelong president. In China, they welcomed me like Valter, my friend Bata Živojinović.
Madonna and Guy Ritchie
I guarded Madonna in 2004 when she was married to Guy Ritchie. I got to her through a recommendation. Guy Ritchie then had a pub, and someone suggested I be the bodyguard. However, he thought I would be at the door of the pub. There was a misunderstanding when I showed up at the pub, but after that, I guarded Madonna. Guy Ritchie and Madonna are great. She trained a lot. Madonna was very cool. When we sat in a restaurant, she always sent the waiter to serve us who were following her. She was very considerate.
Iron Maiden
I was with Iron Maiden for twelve years. I was responsible for the drummer Nicko. I particularly remember a concert in Dublin. Bruce Dickinson was very ill, had a fever, and I thought there was no way the performance would happen. However, the man came out, and I still can't believe that he jumped and sang for three hours. That's not the end of the story. Afterward, he flew us home - even though he was sick and had just had a big concert.
Everyone has their own demands. Nicko always wanted a hot pizza waiting for him in the car after the concert. He loves Belgrade. I took him out in the city before their concert. We walked around the city; the older generation recognized him, he tried our food at Sinđelić and was thrilled with the cuisine.
Madonna is the complete opposite. Her requirements are that the hotel where she stays has a gym and is near a park where she can run.
Career peak
The highlight of my career was in 2012 when I guarded the US men's and women's basketball teams. I got that contract during the London Olympics. I also had a conflict with Bill Clinton, who didn't want to fasten his seatbelt. Now I read various comments from some illiterate people saying, "yes, Clinton called him to guard him." I never said Clinton called me. Other people who offered me the job called me, but again because I already had that security check, passed through the US embassy, so thanks to that, I got that job. And Clinton didn't want to fasten his seatbelt; that's true. That's how our famous disagreement happened.
When I got that contract for the Olympics, no one in Serbia knew where I was, who I was, or what I did. However, during those days, I wore a Delije Sever T-shirt, and a Serbian journalist saw me. An interview with me was published in Pres, and people found out who Goran Dželatović was. Maybe there was no need for that - but if it hadn't happened, maybe I would have remained anonymous my whole life. Maybe they would have known because of the film, as the film wasn't my idea.
On Prince Harry
They plan to make a film about my life. They are probably most interested because I guarded Prince Harry, chosen by the Royal Family for that job, and I'm a foreigner. I now have their passport, but... I came to London without knowing a word of English, and I had such an honour.
Harry always wanted to live like an ordinary guy. At that time, he didn't care about the title of prince; he considered himself a normal and modest guy. Hyde Park had a very popular festival where many famous performers played. Prince Harry loved to come there but didn't like to walk around with his security. They were around us, and I walked with the prince. The reason was my style and image because he didn't want to walk around the park with guys in black suits. He didn't want to attract that much attention.
Return to Belgrade
I miss Belgrade, but I don't intend to live here. I cure my nostalgia with chocolate bananas, Plazma biscuits, pâté, yogurt, kaymak... And, of course, watching our movies and series.
Belgrade today is not the city I left. Yes, it's beautiful here, and it's my birthplace. And every time I come, they build something new. Since the pandemic, I've first heard good news that the British were releasing about Belgrade and Serbia. That never happened before; we were always the bad guys.
Everything is beautiful, wonderful, and fairy-tale-like here now, but I grew up with a different group of people, and everything was different then. There wasn't this jealousy that now prevails and has turned into hatred. I'm not such a person, nor am I jealous, nor do I have any reason to hate anyone, but here people don't appreciate others' success. Let them bring me back to Belgrade when I'm no longer here. We have a family grave at the New Cemetery, so I'll surely end up with my father, who is there now. Let that be the final point on my journey.
On death
I worked most of my life as a bodyguard, but I could have died in a plane crash. We were traveling from London to Milan and going to the Arsenal - Milan match. My friends wanted to get cheap tickets... It was an unfortunate event. I don't even know what to call it... The plane had severe turbulence, and I thought it would crash. I took my phone to call my mother and sister to say goodbye. However, I had no signal, and when I saw the panic in the plane, since I had already said my goodbyes, I started calming my friends who were panicking and comforting the stewardess. She had turned pale. However, kudos to the pilot, he landed us... We later heard that the engine had failed. The possible crash had already been reported, so we were on all the news.
Also, a few years ago, I had a misunderstanding with some guys from London. They did it more out of fear than wanting to stab me. They didn't expect me to go against four of them unarmed. Serbian stubbornness kicked in.
A message to end
I've always tried to do my job as best as I can and follow the protocols I've learned. That's guided me through life. I'll probably continue on my path. I say, I'm used to eating alone, but there's always food for another. I'm not ashamed or afraid of loneliness, as my whole life has been like that. However, I have a daughter to take care of and guide her on the right path.
Now the only question is what's next. Maybe I'll go into acting. I always played cowboys as a kid. I was an extra in several films in England, but I'd like to play a cameo. I see myself there. Maybe it's not meant to be, but Bata Živojinović would surely be proud.
Ljubomir Radanov
