DAVID and Victoria Beckham, the Duchess of York and top boy band A1 - mixing with celebrities is all in a day's work for local man Mike Faux.

The founder of Trafford based company Bodyguard Protection Ltd has visited Posh and Becks to advise them about how to cope with the demands of constantly being in the public eye.

It was a one off consultation because he was then in talks with another client who was able to offer him more regular work.

However, he describes Victoria as a "very nice lady" who has been given a tough time by the media.

Mike may be used to mixing with the rich and successful but as a businessman he's no stranger to success himself.

His business used to operate from a garage at the rear of his former home. It was more or less a one man band, with Mike drafting in extra staff when he needed them.

Now, BPL has a permenant staff of ten and he has a new business partner in Mark Casey, the former security chief at Manchester United.

Mark, too, is no stranger to mixing with the stars, having looked after Pele, possibly the greatest footballer the world has ever seen, on his visits to cities like Paris.

Bodyguard Protection Limited has around 50 men on its books and a move to a bigger office from its current base in Urmston is a distinct possibility.

Why has he been so successful?

"The difference between this particular company and a lot of other companies is that we go about it in a very strict and professional way," says Mike, who tells me all his employees have undergone a strict vetting procedure.

If Victoria Beckham has been harshly treated by the press the same is certainly true of the Duchess, or Fergie as she was christened by the tabloids.

Mike worked with her when he was attached to the Royal Protection Squad and he recalls:

"It was what I would call very heavy and hands on to the point of cars having to be moved off the street because we didn't know who they belonged to or what they were doing there."

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