Man explains why celebrity bodyguards flash torches when they’re out in public

When security and bodyguards escort celebrities, you might sometimes see them flashing torches ahead of their charges.

However, this is not just for fun or for the sake of it, there is actually a particular reason behind it. There are all manner of different concerns that you have to consider when you are put in charge of someone's security.

This is only compounded when, as is often the case, that person is particularly famous. Being in the public eye can bring with it a many risks and problems when you're out and about.

And the bizarre method of shining torches around as they come out is actually targeted at one particularly problem that many famous people might face when they are out and about in public.

But what is it for? It can't be to scout out intruders? Is there some sort of device in the flashlight, and it's scanning if there's a stalker nearby or someone they should be aware of?

It's actually far less outlandish than that. It's not a high tech gadget, it's just a regular torch, though a particularly powerful torch would be useful for this purpose.

In fact, they flash torches around to disrupt paparazzi who are trying to photograph the celebrities as they exit buildings or cars. The flashing light messes with the cameras of those trying to grab a picture, meaning that they are either under or overexposed and therefore not usable.

TikToker kevikodra shone a light on the issue in a video.

He said: "If you flashlight in front of the camera and essentially blinds the camera. The flashing confuses the camera and doesn't allow the paparazzi to get the right photo one's going to be overexposed and the other one's going to be underexposed.

"The other one's just going to be flat out blurry so it prevents these people from getting the perfect photo and having these paparazzi sell a photo of them without their permission."

Believe it or not, celebrities do not necessarily own pictures which have been taken of them, as counterintuitive as that might sound. In fact, unless there is some other agreement in place, the picture is owned by the photographer.

So, having these flashlights shine into the lenses is not just a way to protect privacy, it's also a way to try and maintain control of one's public image as unauthorised pictures of yourself are less likely to end up published.

Topics: News, US News, UK News, Celebrity

Kit Roberts

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.