Heathrow

N E W Y O R K, Sept. 24 — Diana Ross has been responsible for plenty of international sensations, but the one she created in London this week was unique — she ended up under arrest.

The singer spoke with Diane Sawyer on today’s Good Morning America about what she called an inappropriate body search, and her reaction in kind.

DIANE SAWYER, Host: Well, it was baffling, to say the least, and it was not the Diana Ross we all know so well. Gone were the nuclear sparkle and the megawatt smile, and in their place, anger, fear, and, she has said, humiliation.

Police at London’s Heathrow Airport this week held her for five hours after she allegedly assaulted, they said, a female security officer after a pre-boarding body search that she felt was highly inappropriate.

The incident has sparked sensational worldwide headlines, and we are happy to have Diana Ross with us this morning to hear what went on.

DIANA ROSS: Well, Diane, first of all, let me thank you for letting me be here and have this opportunity to kind of — an opportunity to kind of clear my image and my name and explain a little bit about happened day before yesterday, which still is in my heart.

DIANE SAWYER: It’s been rough, you said. You said you spent all day crying.

DIANA ROSS: Yes. It was devastating. And I would like to be able to let go now and let this go, so it can be out of my life.

DIANE SAWYER: All right. For the people who have not heard it from you directly, let’s go back and try to figure out exactly what went on.

You were coming back home, to take the Concorde back home after making a video. Got to ask, were you tense? Were you worried?

DIANA ROSS: Well, like, we had a long work schedule day. I think the big issue is not even just what happened to me, it’s just the idea that they’re do — they can still do physical searches in this manner to a woman at an airport out in public, and I thought it was very violating and intrusive.

And I think it has always happened, but people accept that kind of — you know, it happens, and they accept it. It’s part of what’s expected. I believe in security checks, you know, metal checks at the airport. But I just thought this physical hand on was just really a lot.

DIANE SAWYER: You came through the security gate there and set off the alarm. You had a metal belt on, apparently. And they don’t have those wands that they wave over you, right?

DIANA ROSS: No, no.

DIANE SAWYER: So what exactly did she do?

DIANA ROSS: Well, usually when you go through the — it’s not really an alarm, by the way, it’s a beep, you know, it’s kind of a shocking beep. Usually they tell you to go back in and come back through again, because maybe you touched the sides or something. Or you take off your belt or bracelets or whatever.

And I never had an opportunity to go back in. And I did have on a belt with a big buckle and a jacket with little metal buttons. And before I knew it, she had opened my arms and opened my legs and was just continually going through her process.

Now, you had to go under the coat, because I had a raincoat, to get to me. And, you know, I stood there and went, like, “Oh, my God, do you have to do this?” And she said, “It’s my job,” and went on to do it again. She actually repeated all of the movements again.

And I had never gone through that before. I’ve had physical searches with the wand, and also people doing, you know, like — but never really in this way. The airport ...

DIANE SAWYER: Because you said it was as aggressive as between your legs and behind you.

DIANA ROSS: I actually felt her hands — I had a body suit on — go down my behind, and, you know, they go down your legs, and the side of her hand hit my — hit me in my private areas. And that’s when I went, like, This is too much, I want to complain.

I was with one of the people from British Airways, and we went over to try to make a stand, and they could complain about it. And that’s when I started to get more riled up and angry, because no one cared, no one listened. It was, like, you know, Write a letter.

DIANE SAWYER: They told you ...

DIANA ROSS: And I think I just got — And regrettably, because I really — this is not the behavior that I would suggest anyone — I was really upset. And I really went back to her and did the same thing to her that she did to me. Now, to her ...

DIANE SAWYER: You mean, you just ...

DIANA ROSS: Yes.

DIANE SAWYER: With your hands?

DIANA ROSS: Yes. You know, not all the way. I didn’t go on her legs and everything like that. I did like this, and I said, “This is how it feels to be fondled in this way.” Now, if I could be detained and charged for this, why wouldn’t she? She — it was the same — it was the same and even more behavior, that, you know, that she did and all of them do. That’s part of what they do.

Now, I’m trying to be good about it, where I think maybe she was rushing, maybe she was taking her job very seriously. But I think there’s ...

DIANE SAWYER: You didn’t sense that she was doing anything deliberate to ...

DIANA ROSS: No. But I think there’s a ...

DIANE SAWYER: ... invade you.

DIANA ROSS: ... way of doing things and a way of doing things. Like, there’s a way of shaking hands, there’s a way of touching people that is either violating or not violating. I have always taught my children — and I have five children, older girls — in school, anywhere, whenever anyone touches you, if it feels uncomfortable to you, you have a mechanism inside that answers, Is this right or is this wrong? Never let anyone touch you in a way that makes you feel terribly uncomfortable.

DIANE SAWYER: Conflicting accounts ...

DIANA ROSS: And make it stand.

DIANE SAWYER: ... but one of the witnesses there said that it was just patting you, really ...

DIANA ROSS: Oh, no.

DIANE SAWYER: ... and that you, in effect — I think the word “suddenly went mad.”

DIANA ROSS: Oh, no, it wasn’t patting me, no. No.

But, you know, I would imagine that we are going to all have different opinions about this. Unless you’ve experienced it yourself — there was a lot of women there that were in agreement with me. In fact, one standing right next to me said she didn’t want to allow this search at all. And — but you have to. I mean, you — there’s no way to go through the airport without this hands-on physical check. They don’t wear gloves or anything.

DIANE SAWYER: You know the comment by the airport, by Heathrow Airport, in which they said basically that 60 million people go through this, and they’re required by law to do it. And they said occasionally high-profile celebrities take offense at the procedure, high-profile, which, of course, raises the intimation of diva distress.

DIANA ROSS: Yes. Well, I think anyone who feels this, regardless to who they are, need to make a stand. They certainly don’t have to get angry, which I did. I reacted in that way.

DIANE SAWYER: So ...

DIANA ROSS: And — Huh?

DIANE SAWYER: ... are you sorry?

DIANA ROSS: Yes, I — yes, because I don’t want it to — I have an image — I’m — I want very much — I wouldn’t want anybody to be ... What can I say? I just think that the bigger part of the day that became more stressful is when they took me away, and I didn’t know what was going to happen.

DIANE SAWYER: I want to take a break ...

DIANA ROSS: And in a foreign country, it was very frightening to me.

DIANE SAWYER: We’re going to take a break right now and talk about that, talk about what happened when you went to sit down on the plane and they came to get you. We’ll be back.

DIANA ROSS: I sat in a police station like a criminal for five hours. And I felt really frightened . I was scared. And I’m all alone , I don’t have security people or anything. And I had no rights ...

DIANE SAWYER: Again, Diana Ross joining us here.
I should point out that a number of people phoned in last night when you were on television and have also come forward to say that they have felt the same way, but didn’t think they should say anything when they were being searched like that.
What happened when you were held in detention?

DIANA ROSS: Well, first of all, when they took me off the plane, I was embarrassed. I said, “No, I really just want to go home.” And they said, “No, you have to be detained, and you have to give us your point of view,” in other words, what happened.

DIANE SAWYER: Did they threaten jail?

DIANA ROSS: No, but the intimidation was always feeling like it was there, because they put me in a car and drove me — and it looked like I was going a long ways. And I said, “Where are we going?” It was on the other side of the airport. It was a police station.

We walk in, and the big clanging doors, and they were all really nice to me. There was two women, police officers, there that were smiling at me and very nice. And I guess they all do their job. I mean, very matter-of-factly, they do their job.

It was scary, it really was. I cried, and I tried to — they told me I had two phone calls, and I tried to find my lawyer, but I didn’t have a telephone book, and I didn’t know how long it was going to be. It was really scary.

DIANE SAWYER: Well, we have the footage of you running after you get out of detention. We’re going to play it right now, because you really seem as if you’re liberated (inaudible) ...

DIANA ROSS: No, I was running out of fear. I wanted to get home. I wanted to come home to my kids. I just didn’t want one more moment to be there. I wanted to come home. I mean it. I sat there, I didn’t want to eat, I just was — prayed that they would — that — I had no idea that — I didn’t know what they would want.

Honestly, it keeps coming up for me. I kept trying to stay in control of myself, because I was really — like, I was just really frightened. And I was trying not to cry so much. I kept saying, OK, OK, this is going to be all right, OK.

DIANE SAWYER: Do you know why you were so afraid?

DIANA ROSS: I have never been to even a police station before. You know, I’ve never — police have always — the — they’re my protectors, and they take care of me at dates and when we’re doing concerts and things. I’ve never felt like this, like — I even had to sign a paper, and the line that I had to sign on said, “Criminal,” you know, or — yes, “the criminal,” I think, you know. And it was just really frightening to me.

And I know that I really think the police were doing all the right procedures. They took all my things out of my handbag, they went through all my things. When this woman started to put rubber gloves on her hand, I got really scared. I said, “What are you getting ready to do?” And she said, “I just have to handle your things with gloves on.” But I — my thoughts went everywhere, you know, it was just really scary.

DIANE SAWYER: We have to go now, but we thank you again so much.

DIANA ROSS: OK.

The Associated Press

Diana Ross Arrested

AP-NY-09-22-99

LONDON (AP) - American singer Diana Ross was arrested today at Heathrow Airport after allegedly assaulting a security officer, news agencies said.

Ms. Ross, 55, was detained after a female security officer who had attempted to search the singer complained of being assaulted.

Ms. Ross was at Heathrow to board a flight to the United States, according to Air News, a news agency based at the terminal, and Press Association, the British news agency.

British Airways confirmed that Ms. Ross had been due to travel on the 10:50 a.m. Concorde flight to New York.

Scotland Yard confirmed that a woman was arrested, but would not say if it was the singer. It said the woman who was arrested was in custody.

``The incident took place while the woman was waiting together with other
passengers for routine security checks prior to boarding a flight,'' Scotland Yard said. ``The woman is in custody at Heathrow police station.

Diana Ross Arrested at Heathrow Back To The Top
Associated Press AP-NY-09-22-99 1947EDT

LONDON (AP) - Singer Diana Ross was arrested Wednesday after a confrontation with a security guard who searched her at Heathrow airport.

The pop diva was detained at a police station for more than four hours before being given a warning and released.

``It was scary, I was scared, I'm worried about my children and I want to go home,'' she told BBC-TV just before she caught the Concorde evening flight to New York, some eight hours after she had been scheduled to leave.

The 55-year-old star was not charged. Police said no further action would be taken.

The problems started shortly before Ms. Ross was to board the 10:50 a.m. Concorde flight to New York. She passed through the metal detector and something she apparently was wearing activated it.

The ensuing body search by a female guard was humiliating, she said through her spokesman.

Responding to reporters' questions in New York on Wednesday night, Ms. Ross said the guard ``was rubbing up and down my leg. I felt very uncomfortable.... The woman did not apologize.''

Earlier in the day, she issued the following statement: ``I have been through all the airports of the world and never been subjected to such an intrusive search. ... I am a huggy person, I don't mind being touched, but not in this way - it was far too personal.''

Phil Symes, of publicists Cowan and Symes, said: ``The whole issue for Ms. Ross is the indignity of women when they are subjected to this kind of personal body search.''

She had tried to complain to airport security staff immediately after the search, but had been given a leaflet about complaints procedure, he said.

``She felt that was not good enough. She felt she had not had a chance to make her point,'' Symes said.

``She then went back and approached the girl again and said, 'How would you feel in this situation?' and actually touched the girl. She said it was a natural instinct to want to fight back.''

The guard made a complaint to the police, accusing Ms. Ross of assault.

The star had already boarded her flight, but was led off in tears. She was detained until 3:30 p.m., then released after being cautioned by police.

Looking subdued, she was escorted through waiting ranks of journalists and photographers and into a chauffeured limousine, flanked by five police officers.

Asked about her treatment in custody, she said: ``The police here are wonderful.''

She returned to Heathrow in time for the 7 p.m. Concorde flight to New York.

Ms. Ross ran through the terminal accompanied by police and British Airways staff. She made no comment, the metal detector did not sound and, unimpeded, she ran the 150 yards to the waiting supersonic jet.

When she finally arrived in New York around 6 p.m. EDT, the weary-looking star was greeted by more than two dozen swarming members of the media. She walked directly to her limousine through the crowd, short-circuiting a longer route thanks to special provisions made by airport security.

Diana Ross Frisked at Heathrow Back To The Top
.c The Associated Press

By MELANIE CARROLL

NEW YORK (AP) - A weary-looking Diana Ross said she was ``treated like a criminal'' by airport officials in London after they detained her for more than four hours following an altercation with a security guard.

The entertainer arrived at Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday night, hours after leaving Heathrow Airport. She will not face charges for the incident, which happened after she was frisked by a female security guard.

``I travel a lot. The security checks usually use metal detectors,'' said Ms. Ross, 55. ``This woman went all around my body and up and down my legs. I felt very uncomfortable. I wanted to complain, but no one listened to me.''

The problems started shortly before Ms. Ross was to board the morning flight to New York. She passed through the metal detector and something she was wearing apparently activated it. She was then given a body search by the guard.

Ms. Ross tried to protest to security staff at Heathrow Airport immediately after the search, but was given a leaflet about complaints procedures, said Phil Symes, her publicist.

Outraged, ``she then went back and approached the girl again and said, `How would you feel in this situation?' and actually touched the girl,'' Symes said.

The guard complained to police, accusing Ms. Ross of assault.

``I reacted because I was upset,'' Ms. Ross said.

She boarded the Concorde, but was led off in tears. She was detained for hours, then released after being cautioned by police. She was escorted through waiting reporters and photographers into a limousine, flanked by five London police officers.

She told reporters she felt like a prisoner. ``I sat in the police station like a criminal for five hours. I was frightened. I was scared.''

She returned to Heathrow in time for a 7 p.m. flight to New York - eight hours after she was scheduled to leave.

``I have been through all the airports of the world and never been subjected to such an intrusive search,'' Ross said earlier in the day. ``I am a huggy person, I don't mind being touched, but not in this way - it was far too personal.

The Daily Telegraph (England),
October 21, 1999 - ISSUE 1609

Miss Ross, The Metal Detector and Her Menopause

She was arrested at Heathrow airport after a dramatic contretemps at the check-in and now faces a divorce that she she is dreading. Diana Ross talks to Jan Moir about the latest turbulence in her life DIANA ROSS is rehearsing a television show in a north London studio. Right now - this very minute - she needs a chair and some hot coffee. "Get me decaf," she says, to no one in particular. From a shadowy post down by the stage, a girl sprints for the canteen. "OK. Let's just do somethin'," says Ross to her band, then cues them in and begins to sing.

Diana Ross: 'I'm too young not to have love in my life'

"Baby love, my baby love, I miss you, miss kissing you. All of my whole life through, da da de dadada, dede dede...hey!" she cries, as the musicians wheeze to a halt. "I need the lyrics up here. I can't remember the words. Someone get my bag."

She can't remember Baby Love? "Come on," she says briskly. "I haven't sung it in a long time."

Although familiar with her newer material, she is, amazingly, stumped by many of the songs that have made her, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the most successful female recording star of all time. She tries another one.

"Love has never shown its face since the day you walked out that door...uh-oh. What comes next?"

Just then, her fresh coffee is passed on to the stage. "I just hope this is not real coffee. I just hope this is decaf," she says, by way of thanks.

In her leather jacket and studded Chrome Hearts biker jeans - the very pair that set off the security alarm at Heathrow - she looks vibrant and youthful for a woman of 55. Her most arresting feature - it must be visible from outer space - is that huge puffball of mad black hair, which molts lightly wherever she goes.

"Yep," she says, extracting a strand from her fingernail, "you can always tell where Diana Ross has been." Sticking a microphone into the small triangle of face still visible under her curls, she begins again. "I wanna call the stars...nope, nope, nope. Come on. Get the words up on the monitor."

She is a small and menacing woman, with the unsettling habit of smiling broadly when most displeased. But, for today at least, she does not appear to be the petulant hysteric of popular legend. Dear me, no. Diana Ross is something far deadlier than that. Like all people who wield real power, she never raises her voice, does not repeat herself and issues orders into the darkness of the auditorium, certain that unseen minions will jump - instantly.

She might not exhibit much fellow-feeling towards these worker bees but, to be fair, she is conducting a difficult technical rehearsal and is painstakingly trying to get it right. However, it is noticeable that while she does not feel the need to apologize for her own mistakes, she will not tolerate them from others.

During a particularly sticky moment on stage, her spokesman distracts me by mentioning that when Ross is touring with her band, she just loves to "mother" them. Since they all respectfully refer to her as Miss Ross, and exhibit the nervy, big-grinned demeanor of children who never know if they're going to get a biscuit or a bashing, I think we can all guess what kind of road mommy Diana might be.

As the rehearsal ends, she slumps in her chair and delivers a final message to her musicians, without bothering to turn around. "You guys better get this together before tomorrow, I'm tellin' ya. I'm not sittin' up here being upset again." Then she gathers up her bags and heads off to her dressing room.

Once inside, she kicks off her boots and pads around in stocking feet, looking tired but beautiful. "Tired? I am in the midst of my menopause, so no wonder I'm tired," she says. "I can't sleep at night, I keep getting warm flushes. When I walk into a room, I say: 'Open a window. Isn't everyone in here hot?' I tell ya, it's a riot. Heh heh."

Does she suffer from violent mood swings?

She gives me a witchy look before replying. "No," she says, "I have always been in total control of my emotions." Then she instantly contradicts herself. "Yeah, I cry a lot. I cry at the drop of a hat, these days. I'm taking a lot of calcium for my bones, I'm taking a lot of homoeopathic whatever because my mother had breast cancer so I don't want to take hormone replacements.

"Anyways, I see this as a natural thing and I don't want to stop it. But you know what? This is not the end of my sex life. Heeey! Diana Ross is still a hot momma."

She gestures towards a portable stereo, a vital piece of equipment she uses each day to play the spiritual tapes that calm her hormonally confused soul.

"I spend a lot of time with my higher self. I am working on my spirit and my soul a lot; it comforts me," she says, nodding. "It keeps me on purpose, reminds me of the beauty in life. You know what? It's not about prosperity, it's about self."

In close confines, she has an alluring speaking voice and is making a big effort to be friendly and approachable. Today, the pop diva has eyes ringed Cleopatra-style with black liner and toned, bare arms. The only jarring note is a missing purple fingernail that has fallen off her right index finger.

"Yeah, I don't have long nails, I have stick-ons," she says, examining the damage. "People think I wear gowns and glitter all the time, but I am a real person. I really am. I do all the real stuff. I don't have a decorated house, I have a comfortable home. I do the dishes, I take the kids to school each morning in the van.

"But people don't wanna know that about me. They don't want to see me come down off my pedestal. They just want the provocative stuff."

You've got to hand it to her, this is an ingenious defense from a woman who was recently arrested at Heathrow airport on suspicion of assaulting a female security guard. She threw a hissy fit after being subjected to a body search by the guard. Ross was taken off her Concorde flight and held at a police station for five hours. Released with a caution, she has gone on to proclaim that she was not being silly, that being frisked is an intrusion of privacy and a breach of women's rights. At first, she does not want to talk about the incident - "I wanna move on, there are so many important issues in the world" - but it has had such a loopy impact on her that she simply cannot stop herself.

"What happened at the airport brought the fear of death to me. After Heathrow, I am scared of dying, I really am. It opened up a lot of fears for me," she says, with some intensity.

Why do you feel like that? I ask, incredulous.

"I dunno. You gonna be my shrink here or what? It opened up a whole channel of fear for me; it was devastating. I felt intimidated, so alone. Those people were totally without emotion and I had to stay there a long time without knowing what was going on. I had a lot of trauma later.

"When I got back to Connecticut, I had to get a minister to pray for me over the phone. That was really healthy because I was wondering if I had done something wrong. Don't you think it is a terrible thing to do to women?"

Diana Ross: her arrest at Heathrow 'traumatized' her No, I say. Women have to suffer many indignities in life, but being frisked at an airport is not one of them. "She touched my crotch!" says Ross, her voice rising as she leaps off the sofa. "She went like this" - she thrusts a hand between her legs - "and touched my crotch. Then she went around my breasts like this - I mean, what do they do with women with really big breasts? Her hands must have been quite open because I felt them on me. Then she went back and did it a second time."

According to Ross, she was never given the opportunity to go back through the metal detector to remove her belt or jewellery, and when she tried to complain after the search, they "just blew me off".

It was being ignored, perhaps, that really lit her fuse paper. "I am normal, so I guess I freaked out. I got really unhappy. I thought about not saying anything, then I thought, why should I? I felt, come on, there is a human being here."

If I were Diana Ross's shrink, I might deduce that she was having a seething bout of menopausal rage. Or perhaps her extravagant reaction was rooted in the shock of losing control and privilege, of having her bubble of celebrity pricked and being treated, for once, like an ordinary member of the public. Of course, she does not see it like that.

"I felt that I did not deserve to be treated that way. I am a good person," she says. "I am good to people."

Such was her grief, she even voiced doubts about ever returning to Britain again. However, the prospect of a new album, largely a selection of plaintive songs of lost love, and a single to promote appear to have concentrated her mind.

"This album is very special to me," she purrs, happy to be back on-message again. "It reflects a lot of what is going on in my life right now.

"These past two years, I have to say, have been very difficult for me and you can hear that in the songs I have chosen."

But it is tricky to pinpoint a period in Diana Ross's life that has not been turbulent. Born in the Detroit public housing projects, she powered herself out of the ghetto with a yearning for fame which she found through the Supremes and Tamla Motown records.

The all-girl group discovered a unique pop-soul formula and enjoyed staggering success from 1964 until Ross left to go solo - amid much acrimony - five years later. While the hits kept coming, she was also nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the film Lady Sings the Blues.

Somewhere along the way, she found time to have five children: a daughter by former Motown boss Berry Gordy, two further daughters by her first husband, estate agent Robert Silverstein, and two sons by her current husband, Norwegian shipping tycoon Arne Naess. To her apparent dismay, Naess recently announced - on Norwegian television - that their 13-year marriage is over.

She appears to believe that divorce proceedings are inevitable, a state of affairs that she is reluctant to accept. "I don't wanna get divorced, I don't wanna do this any more, I want us to stay together," she croons, giving the puffball a shake. "I tried everything to get him to stay, but distance is not a good thing in a marriage and he always wants to spend time in Europe. I still love him very much."

She believes that Naess has found it difficult to be married to a woman in show business, and she has always been quietly horrified on his behalf when he has been referred to as "Mr. Ross."

"No matter how much self-assurance he has, after a while, that's got to be annoying," she concedes.

But they have always seemed a rather odd couple - the straitlaced businessman Naess, with his passion for gung-ho hobbies such as mountaineering and trekking, and his limelight-loving, flamboyant peacock of a wife.

"Yeah, he was so buttoned up, so conservative, so European," she sighs. "He never wanted to talk about our problems and I always wanted to get them out there. I wanted us to go for counseling, but he wouldn't hear of it."

She talks wistfully of the romantic evenings they spent together at their Connecticut home - "we would have soup and beer by the fire, that was our favorite" - but, despite this melancholy reverie, she cannot resist a little bit of a bitch.

"I think he's going through a little bit of a menopause himself," she says, sweetly. "He's looking for something better, or a bigger mountain to climb, I dunno."

Will she ever, I ask - feeling as though I'm trapped in a Diana Ross lyric - be ready to love again?

"I'm too young not to have love in my life. I don't want to give up on love because things don't work out the way I thought they would. But I'm not ready to start the process of looking. I cannot picture myself dating."

Still, it must be pointed out that there have been rumors since the beginning of the decade that Ross's marriage was in trouble and music business cynics have been quick to point out that this timely disclosure of their separation chimes all too perfectly with the release of her new album.

"People say that?" says Ross, with that scary, gummy grin spreading across her face. "Well, I say there are a lot of ugly people out there. I am a normal person. I broil chicken, I collect cookbooks. I ride my bicycle. I pray for myself. I like girly things. What can I tell ya? Here, come and look at these boots," she commands.

She shows me a knee-high satin boot with a rhinestone cuff that she spotted in a shop window while cruising down Sloane Street in London in her limousine. As befits a true diva, she did not order her driver to stop, but dispatched someone later to buy her a pair. "And do you know what?" she says, sadly, "they're too small."

Miss Ross is, ultimately, a fabulous creature - an old-fashioned star of the very first firmament. We can forgive her for being too big for her boots once in a while.

Diana Ross's single Not Over You Yet is released on October 25. The album Every Day is a New Day is released on November 8 by EMI records.

The International Express

A London based Weekly Newspaper Back To The Top

Jumped Up Little Hitler's Think They Rule Supreme

The arrest of Diana Ross at Heathrow was pathetic -- the sound of puny little England stamping its foot. Sally, the creepy security officer who touched up a celebrity and then complained to the police when the same was done to her, knew exactly who she was frisking. And, no, Diana Ross is not the same as you or me. Nobody knows who we are. Everyone knows who she is, which means they know she isn't a terrorist. So why treat her like one?

If security staff couldn't spot that the alarm had been set off by a belt buckle, perhaps we should make their entrance exams tougher. And only in Britain, where jumped-up little Hitlers are the bane of our lives, do we have so little respect for individual liberty that passengers are manhandled at checkpoints rather than scanned by hand-held metal detectors.

Finally, did you see how many coppers it took to arrest her on the Concorde? Four. Try getting burgled and see how many turn up. "Looks like we may need back-up on this one, Sarge. The suspect is a known former member of the Supremes." Still, good to know there's so little crime in this country the police force can divide its time between nicking motorists doing 31 mph and hanging around "Terminal Four looking for autographs." I'm certainly sleeping safer tonight.

MSNBC Back To The Top

Diana Ross Detained - Video

NY POST Back To The Top

Supreme Diva Scared and Humiliated

By TRACY CONNOR and ALEX DEVINE

Supreme diva Diana Ross said last night she was scared and humiliated when a security guard patted down her breasts "and between my legs" while frisking the singer at London's Heathrow Airport.

"I think the whole procedure should be changed - physical touching of people," the 55-year-old Motown legend said at Kennedy Airport.

Ross, wearing a black-leather jacket, tight black leggings, lilac boots and purple highlights in her hair, said she didn't intend to sue over the incident. After her brief statement, Ross raced off in a navy blue limo.

But hours earlier in London, the pop diva, whose hits have included "Touch Me in the Morning," and "You Can't Hurry Love," was determined to give the female security guard who frisked her a taste of her own medicine.

"How do you like it?" Ross sniped after touching the shocked guard's chest.

The guard alerted cops who promptly hauled Ross off to the station for five hours of questioning. She was released with a warning.

"It's devastating to be in a police station. I have never been in one before. I was very frightened," Ross told reporters, adding that the cops had been "very good, but they have procedures."

"I am not saying that they were unkind but they did their job. It was scary. I was scared," she said. "I am worried about my children. I want to go home." Ross declared the frisking at Heathrow "disgraceful," but an airport spokesman suggested Ross' fame may have been the root of the problem.

"The vast majority of the 60 million passengers who pass through Heathrow understand the airport security procedures. We are required by law to hand-search any passenger who activates the metal-detector alarms," the spokesman said.

"Occasionally, high-profile celebrities take offense."

The brouhaha erupted around 10 a.m. London time as Ross hurried to board British Airways' Concorde to New York.

As she walked through a security archway, the alarm went off, probably because of the heavy silver belt she was wearing.

When a security worker hand-frisked Ross, "she suddenly went mad," another guard said.

"She was shouting and screaming that the girl had touched her breast. She then ran her hands over the girl's front and said, 'How do you like it?'"

Ross' scene continued as she stomped into the Concorde VIP lounge, ranting: "Why don't they use a hand-held detector like they do at all of the other airports in the world? They wouldn't touch a man's penis, would they?"

The temperamental superstar was allowed to board the supersonic jet, but after 10 minutes police officers arrived to investigate a complaint from the security guard.

They questioned Ross on the plane and then escorted her to a police van. She was in tears as she was driven away to the airport police station for further questioning.

Ross' London-based spokesman, Phil Symes, said she was "extremely upset" at being arrested.

"She felt the personal body search she had was too much of an intimate nature. She felt that not just for herself, but on the part of all women."

He said her response "was just a reflex. She just felt she had to do something to protect herself."

Ross recently split from her Norwegian-industrialist husband Arne Naess.

"I was hurt and shocked," she said of his announcement of their separation on television. "As far as I was concerned, we were still working on fixing things."

Ross' new album, "Every Day Is A New Day," is said to draw on the turmoil. The mom-of-2 is also working on a miniseries about her early life in Detroit.

E! ONLINE

Diana Ross Arrested Back To The Top

September 22, 1999

Has Diana Ross taken her diva antics one step (or one touch) too far?

by Joal Ryan

The legendary singer was taken into custody today at London's Heathrow airport after allegedly copping a retaliatory feel of a female security officer, reports out of Britain say.

Ross, 55, was said to be currently in custody at a Heathrow station, a police spokeswoman told Reuters.

The incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. (U.K. time) as Ross prepared to board a Concorde flight from London to New York. The supreme Supreme allegedly flipped when she was submitted to what an official termed "routine security checks."

According to Reuters, Ross accused a security officer of touching a breast during an inspection--and, in retaliation, touched the female security officer's breast right back.

"How do you like it?," Ross asked the official, an eyewitness told the press agency.

Ross was then seen by reporters stomping off into the airport's VIP lounge and declaring, "I'm absolutely furious. Do you know when they search you, they actually touch your breast? It's disgraceful."

Ross later boarded her flight, only to be escorted from the plane by police and shuttled away in a van, Reuters said.

Best known for her string of classic Motown hits with the 1960s girl group, the Supremes, Ross was most recently on national TV, um, touching the exposed breast of rapper Lil' Kim at this month's MTV Video Music Awards.

The Mirror had an exclusive interview with Diana, besides getting into all the details which all other media has covered already, it said here in The Mirror that Diana held a round of meetings in the capitol to discuss plans for her latest album, Everyday is a New Day. She also met London Weekend television chiefs to put the finishing touches to the setting-up of an "Audience With" TV special. She had been up until 3am yesterday after a 13-hour non-stop session preparing a video shoot for her new single, Not Over You Yet...

And it looks as if the video for Not Over You yet has happened as she spent 13 non-stop hours on it, then again the video needs to be ready for the songs release in just over a week...

Near the end, Diana say's "I am obviously nervous about coming back to Britain, but I have to be here next month for promotional work. I can't rule out not traveling with security in the future, it's important for me to have some kind of normal lifestyle which is why I travel alone, I have my career. But I have my life and I try to keep it as normal as possible. I'm a frequent traveler. VIP people help me when they can, but if they're busy they don't. People are nice to me because I'm nice to people. That's who I am, I was shocked, angry and upset and very embarrassed by this whole thing. It was a violation of my privacy. What puzzles me most is that you would expect a woman to be more sensitive about it. I'm really not a crusader, but this is a real issue and it's time action was taken if any good is going to come out of it. This isn't about status, this is an issue relating to all woman. It's something which has to be looked at seriously. I wouldn't be talking like this if I didn't think it was important."

Earlier in the interview Diana said...

.."I felt so alone, so isolated, I was in despair. I always travel on my own. I don't have security or an entourage so i felt desolated...... I talked to my lawyer John Frankenhiemer in Nashville who just told me to tell the facts and the truth - which I did - and to tape everything. if I'd known I was going to be there so long I would have hired a local lawyer"

Ross also made a frantic telephone call to her estranged husband Arne Naess, who remains a friend, and her eldest daughter Rhonda.

"My husband said I should make a joke about it, but i didn't think it's very funny. But he was sad and sympathetic about it all. My daughter was as angry as me"....

Larry King Live Back To The Top

Singer Diana Ross Speaks out About Her Treatment at Heathrow Airport and Detainment at a Police Station

Originally aired September 23, 1999 - 9:00 p.m. ET To order Transcripts

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, she says she was treated like a criminal after an incident at a London airport. Diana Ross joins us from New York for the full hour, next on LARRY KING LIVE.

Diana Ross, of course, one of the great pop singers, her last album, which was made in London, by the way, has gone double platinum. She's been involved in an incident that has gained worldwide attention. Before we talk to Diana and get the whole story from her point of view, here is what she said and looked like last night when she arrived at Kennedy. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANA ROSS: ... Security checks, they used metal detectors. This woman went all around my body and up and down my legs with her hands and I felt very uncomfortable about it. And I wanted to complain and nobody listened to me, and I actually reacted because I was very upset, and I tried to complained and nobody paid attention.

QUESTION: Are you going to sue, Ms. Ross?

ROSS: No.

QUESTION: How did you finally resolve it?

ROSS: Well, I -- the hard part was they took me to the police station and that was devastating to me, because they don't listen. They have a real responsibility to do paperwork, and I was treated like a criminal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: We thank Diana Ross for being with us tonight. She's at our studios in New York.

All right. Take us back. You were returning home. Was it a business trip to London? Were you recording? What were the circumstances that had you there?

ROSS: I -- Larry, I was in London in a good mood, because I was just finishing a video for the new album, the new CD that's being released in Europe. It was a very good evening, a good day. We were on our way to the airport. It was very busy, a lot of traffic.

KING: This was the morning Concorde flight to Kennedy? I think it goes at about what, 10:15 or so?

ROSS: The early morning Concorde, yes, yes.

KING: So what happened?

ROSS: We were -- you want to hear the whole story.

KING: You bet.

ROSS: It was very crowded coming through the line through the security line. I basically had on a body suit, a belt with a big buckle and a top with a lot of buttons on it, but out of metal. As I came through the security line -- usually every place I've traveled -- now you know I've traveled a lot -- that if you make the sound beep off or something like that, they give you a chance to go back in and take off your watch or your rings or whatever, and you go back-and- forth. But I guess, maybe because it was a crowded day or whatever, it was like, this woman walked up to me and just spread my arms out and spread my legs out and started going over my body, and I was really just shocked, and I said...

KING: Now, hold it right there. Usually they use a little beeper machine. Everyone has had this happen to them.

ROSS: Every place I've ever traveled.

KING: They'll go around and if it beeps off, it was a belt buckle or whatever. Why was she touching you?

ROSS: Well, I think that is the method in the London Heathrow Airport. I said to her, I said, hey, why do you have do it like this? And she said, "I'm doing my job," and she went back to -- she did it again. She went all around my breasts, underneath my breasts, down my back, and she spread my legs open and went up and down my legs, and I was just humiliated. And I thought, I can either let this go or I can make a complaint. So I walked away with the girl from the British Airways that was very helpful to me, and we walked over to make a complaint. Nobody paid any attention to me over there. I think it was a busy day. I kept -- you know, I'm trying not to blame anyone.

I asked them for some assistance and they say, we have to talk to our supervisor, and I stood there until I thought I was going to miss the plane. They gave me a pamphlet and said, "write a letter," and I went like, what is this going to do. I said, this is humiliating. I feel violated. This woman has gone under my breasts, all around -- I mean, I was really taken. That's all I can say. And so as I walked away, I was really angry, and regrettably, Larry, I think I reacted to her. She was standing there very smug. I walked over to her and said, this is how it feels when someone rubs you up and down, and maybe I shouldn't have and I apologize because...

KING: And you grabbed -- and what did do you?

ROSS: I'm sorry?

KING: What did you do when you said this is how it feels?

ROSS: I did the same thing to her that she had done to me.

KING: Is that when they stopped you? What happened then?

ROSS: No, it's not -- I went on to the lounge and the photographers were all there and I told them how humiliated I was. I sat in the lounge. There were many other women that agreed with me, that they had been in tears coming through the -- when someone can feel your private areas like that, you know, and I just said, you know, someone should make a stand. I did not think that, that someone was going to be me. I actually got on the plane, I had taken off my shoes. I was sitting down, and all of a sudden I was taken off the plane by police officers. And they said, "You've made a complaint. You have to come with us." Now the biggest scary part of all of this happened much later at the police station. I was very frightened.

KING: What happened?

ROSS: Should I continue?

KING: You bet. You have got the whole hour. Now, wait a minute. They come on -- the police. How were all the -- how did everybody know? We're seeing this now. Do you know how the photographers all knew about this? How they knew to cover this incident? Do you know, Diana, why it was even -- why photographers were there?

ROSS: You know, I -- there's always photographers in the Heathrow Airport, behind the security guards. I travel alone. I don't have body guards. I'm really so happy my children were not with me. Once you go through this secure area, you're not allowed to have security. And the paparazzi or photographers are always there, and by the way, they've always been good to me in the past. They were good to me now, because I said to them, somebody needs to take a stand about this physical kind of searching that happens there. It's -- you shouldn't be allowed to be touching people in this way. They don't have gloves on. They have nothing. They feel you underneath your...

KING: Before we ask about the police station, despite the fact that you were being escorted by a representative from British Airways, that didn't help at all? They still -- they're not employed -- the people who do the guard and the checking are not employed by the airways. they're employed by the airport or the authorities. That didn't mean anything?

ROSS: No. And you know, at the airport I don't get any special treatment. I stood in line like everybody else to go through the security line. They were very kind to me, because I am a frequent flyer. They helped me through the difficult places, but they don't really do anything for me unnecessarily. I do not think I get any special privileges as a celebrity at the Heathrow Airport. If there's no dignity, Terry is there, or they always are able to assist me. They have been very kind to me over these years. The girl walked through. She commiserated and understood my feelings totally.

KING: All right.

ROSS: In fact, at the end, I said to her, you're the only one who saw what happened. So I need you to be able to say to someone what you saw. Because my biggest scare was when the police officers took me off the plane. I said, no, I want to go home. And they said, "No, you have to come with us." And that's when I got scared, and at the police station -- first of all, they drove me -- it was scary.

KING: Hold it right there. We'll have you explain what happened there. Diana Ross has been removed from the Concorde and taken to the police station. We'll find out what happened right after this.

QUESTION: Ms. Ross, how are you feeling?

ROSS: I'm OK.

QUESTION: Ms. Ross, how do you feel about your treatment, Ms. Ross?

ROSS: The treatment here is wonderful here. Everybody has been really nice. Let's not, guys -- please, I don't like that.

KING: We're back with Diana Ross, over the incident that has gotten worldwide attention. She's seen -- being seen worldwide tonight on LARRY KING LIVE.

Before you tell us what happened at the police station, I just want to quote to you some witnesses who gave a different account at "The Daily Telegraph" today, which you may have missed because flew back.

One witness said the guard ran her hand slightly over your neck, back, legs and under your arms, and suddenly you went mad, shouting and screaming that the girl had touched your breast. "The New York Daily News" quotes witnesses as saying that you screamed: "Nobody touches my breasts. Who do you think you are?" Any of that true?

ROSS: You know, I'm not even sure, because I was upset. Yes, I didn't feel like I should be -- let me step back to -- you know, the way I raise my children is if someone touches you in any way that it's uncomfortable, you make sure you let someone know. I brought up my kids this way. If you're touched in any way that feels like it's incorrect, you let someone know about this. And this is where I was coming from at that moment.

You can shake a person's hand and you can shake a person's hand. You can frisk a person and you can really get in there. And I think that I felt very uncomfortable with the way that I was being touched at this airport and I needed to tell someone about it and say that this was not the right way to do things.

KING: All right. Why were you...

ROSS: And that's what I did.

KING: Why were you removed -- by the way, Heathrow Airport made a statement today which you may might want to comment on before you tell us about the police station. It says -- quote -- "The vast majority of the 60 million passengers who pass through Heathrow understand the airport's security procedures. We're required by law to hand search any passenger who activates that metal detector alarms. Occasionally, high-profile celebrities take offense at this procedure."

ROSS: I think that many women will take offense at this procedure, to be touched in this way. I don't think it's just a celebrity.

KING: They don't do it at American airports, right? I think they use just that little -- little -- little machine that the guy holds and goes around. They don't touch you physically, do they, I don't think?

ROSS: You know, Larry -- Larry, I believe in airport security. I believe that there should be security at the airport. Absolutely. I think people should be checked. But I think there is a method and a way of anything that you do, there should be a way of doing that.

KING: OK. What happened -- and the word I'm thinking of is a wand. It's a wand.

ROSS: Yes.

KING: What happened at the -- what happened at the police station? What happened in the car? What did they say you were being take there for?

ROSS: Well, I didn't know why they were taking me, and I got really frightened, and I kept trying to keep myself really calm and I kept saying, "It's OK, I'm going to be all right."

And I was alone, and there were three other police officers. Didn't -- they were not unkind. They were nice people. I guess people have to do their job. I started to get really frightened, because it took a long time and I didn't know where they were taking me. They said they were taking me to the other side of the airport, but it seemed to take a long time. I walked into the airport -- into the police station. The first thing that scared me is the door slammed behind me. And I have never been in a police station before and I -- you know, I recommend that no one ever has to go through that, because it's very frightening.

I was scared. And I told the guy I was scared, and I said, what -- "What's going to happen now? What are you going to do?" They took my bags. They went through all my bags. They told me I could call my lawyer and call my family, and that was it. I didn't have my telephone book with me. I didn't have anyone's number. I don't know lawyers in London. They were very matter of fact, doing their job, again. You know, they didn't do anything wrong to me, but it was a very scary environment and scary situation.

KING: Did they tell you why you were there? Had the woman filed a charge against you?

ROSS: No, they never -- I was not arrested. I was being detained, was the word.

KING: For what reason?

ROSS: And they never said how -- that I was being detained because the woman at the airport said I had -- she should have been the one there, because she was the one who physically, you know, did, you know, something to me.

KING: Yes.

ROSS: I reacted to her. I was angry, Larry. I'm not excusing my behavior. I was very angry. And you know, I guess we all react in different ways for different things. I've never been physically...

KING: All right. When they...

ROSS: ... touched this way.

KING: How long did they hold you? How long did they hold you?

ROSS: I guess I was there before 10 o'clock, and they never told me what was going to happen. I want you to know the fear is one of the woman police officers put a rubber glove on her hand, and I said, "My god, what are you getting ready to do?" I mean, I was so afraid. And she said they went through all of my papers. They, you know, went through all my things. It was the day of total humiliation. I have never been in that place before in my entire life. And...

KING: Why were they -- did they consider you some sort of security risk? I mean, why -- why...

ROSS: I don't know.

KING: I can understand them being -- maybe the lady brought a charge against you, and they were reacting to that you pushed her. But why go through your stuff? Did you ask them why they were doing it?

ROSS: I didn't hear what you said, Larry.

KING: Did you ask them, "Why are you going through my purse?"

ROSS: Yes. I asked them why. They said they have to take everything out so that they can put it in a bag and put away, so when they would give it back to me, that I received what they'd taken from me. But you know, like, they went through, you know, my jewelry. They counted my money. They went through everything in my personal bag. Even -- not only the violation that you go through at the airport with this kind of search, but just someone going through your private and personal things.

I know these things may have to be done, but it's just -- it was just...

KING: How long did they hold you?

ROSS: It was devastating.

KING: How long did they hold you in the police station?

ROSS: The thing that was also scary is they said to me, if they had to, they might have to put me in a cell. And I started to cry, because I said, you know -- I just didn't know. They didn't give -- it was very intimidating. Very, very -- loss of dignity. And I just didn't know what was going to happen next. There was a nice police woman who came and sat -- put me in a room with a police officer and closed the door. And I had not been able to see or talk to anybody until the travel agent that had booked the flight for me was able to come in. And she's the one who told me that there was all the press and photographers outside. But I had no idea what was going on in the rest of the world. I felt totally isolated and alone.

KING: Let me get a break, and we'll find out how long you were held and what they said when they released you, and then we'll be including calls from people. Our guest is Diana Ross. By the way, Phil Donahue was scheduled to be with us tonight. He'll be with us in a couple of weeks from now, in October in New York. Phil Donahue will be with us. He was the scheduled guest tonight. He'll be with us in October in New York. We'll be right back.

KING: We're back with Diana Ross. All right. How long were you held in that airport jail?

ROSS: Five hours, between 10:00 and 3:00: 3 o'clock they let me go. And I really wanted to get home. I...

KING: Did they tell you why? What were they doing for five hours?

ROSS: I have no idea. I sat there. It was a lot of paperwork. I had to sign off on a lot of things. They -- you know, I had to sign that they read me my rights.

KING: But you still don't know what you're charged with?

ROSS: They fingerprinted me. They fingerprinted me and took my picture, like a criminal.

KING: But they never told you what you were charged with?

ROSS: I wasn't charged with anything. I was not charged with anything.

KING: When they sent you out, did they -- what did they say when they released you?

ROSS: They released me -- I had -- with something they called a warning, or I'm not even sure the word. It's something like that. In other words, you had to -- you had to sign that, you know, you won't...

KING: Do this again.

ROSS: That you won't get angry again, I guess, or you just allow yourself to be, you know, revved up, I guess.

KING: Now, did they take you back -- did they take you back to the airport and put you -- was it another Concorde or did you go on a regular flight?

ROSS: No. I went -- I wanted to go on the Concorde, because I wanted to get home as fast as possible. You have no idea how wonderful it is to be an American. And I just wanted so much to be home with my kids. I kept saying, I just want to go home, you know, and...

KING: So was there a Concorde flight late in the afternoon, too?

ROSS: It was a 7 o'clock Concorde, and I arrived back home a quarter to 6:00, I think.

KING: Did you have to go through security again at the airport?

ROSS: When I got to the airport, the people in New York were always very nice to me, again.

KING: No, I mean at Heathrow, again. Did they make -- after they took you from the jail, did you have to go through security?

ROSS: When I went through security this time, I undressed, Larry. I took off the jacket that had the buttons on it. I took off my coat. I took off my shoes. I had no metal on me, and I went through the security, and I started to run to get to the lounge, because there was piles of press people there, and I was almost missing the plane and I just wanted to get through the airport.

KING: In your gut, do you think that anyone who acted the way you acted would have been treated that way, or do you think it was partially due to the fact -- this would just be a guess -- that you are who you are?

ROSS: No, do you know I kept thinking that maybe it was a full day. It was crowded. Maybe the woman was just rushing through what she had to do. I don't know what her intentions were. I know that she knew it was me, because, I said, "Why do you have do this?" So she said, "It's my job," and went about doing it again. In other words, this is the way it is, miss, you know. And I got a lot of other people around me feeling the same way. Because I was stunned. I stopped there in a very stunned way, trying to figure out, do I allow this to happen to me or do I make, you know, a stand?

KING: Must have felt pretty good to land at Kennedy?

ROSS: I'm sorry, when I got home?

KING: It must have felt pretty good to just land at Kennedy?

ROSS: I was very happy to get home. I was also worried about my kids, Larry, because I had heard that things had started to be said around, and I knew that my sons, my children, would be very worried about me, and I..,

KING: We'll take a -- all right, let me get a break, and we'll get some reaction that's been printed about this and your reaction to that, and we'll take phone calls. Diana Ross is with us for the full hour. Tomorrow night, the entire cast of "Touched By an Angel." Harrison Ford on Saturday. And next Tuesday, former Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey. Right back with Diana Ross. Your calls will be coming. Don't go away.

KING: We're back with Diana Ross. So I guess you were not surprised to see a lot of press and a lot of reaction at Kennedy when you came in?

ROSS: Yes. I was not -- I mean, I was happy to see them, actually.

KING: Why?

ROSS: Well, it gave me a chance maybe to say to them what I was...

KING: Give them your side of things.

ROSS: Yes.

KING: All right, let's get your reaction to some of the things. Randy or Tarabeli -- or Taraboreli (ph), writing in "The New York Post" said, that what you did was not typical of the new Diana Ross. Years ago, you might have acted that way, but he had thought that you'd changed quite a bit, and that your life was well under control and that you didn't get angry and spurt off. What's your reaction to that?

ROSS: This person doesn't know me at all, this Randy. I mean, he's making a lot of money on using my name.

KING: How about -- Andrea Payser -- Peyser (ph)? I don't know her. She said she wanted to eradicate "diva deviancy." She said "spoiled rotten behavior is highly contagious. The common thread is that the diva invariably believes she is a victim." Do you know -- or want to comment on -- is ti Peyser -- or went to comment on her column?

ROSS: I didn't hear that so clearly what you said, Larry.

KING: She said that, in a headline, it's time to eradicate diva deviancy. Do you hear me, OK?

ROSS: It's kind of fuzzy. I'm trying hear you.

KING: OK. She criticized your behavior and that of other big stars, saying that "spoiled rotten behavior is highly contagious." "The common threat is that the diva invariably believes that she is the victim. The only way to stamp out cruel or annoying divas is to steadfastly ignore them. The divas should be banned from the stage, screen or TV for 30 days until bad behavior ceases." Did you read that, or do you have any comment on that?

ROSS: I do. I think people that know me know that that's not who I am. And you know, I think people can say anything they want to say about you. But I think people that know me, I think my fans and people that are close to me know that that's not my behavior at all. I have a way of hoping that I always make eye contact and be close to -- that's not me at all.

KING: So when you saw -- did you see all of the tabloids today in New York having a field day with this?

ROSS: Larry, I'm sorry, say it again.

KING: Did you see all of the tabloids today having a field day with this? You know "The New York Post" with this, "You Can't Hurry Luv," British kind of headline, or "Diana Ross is Bust-ed in Britain," "A Touch of Trouble." Those kinds of things. Have you seen that today? "Tit for Tat in Britain," in "The Sun." "Diana Ross Grabs Boobs of Air Girl." "My Hell by Diana Ross," in The Daily Mirror. What do you make of all of that?

ROSS: I haven't seen any of this, Larry.

KING: You can't be surprised, though. You've had a life of tabloids, haven't you? You've had a life of people reporting anything about you, true or false.

ROSS: It's never really been so bad, It's never really been. I usually always try to protect my children, if anything. But I don't think people have been really negative toward me. I haven't had a lot of bad in my entire -- you know, it's been a long career, Larry. I've had a wonderful career for -- I don't want to tell you how many years. But mostly, people treat me fairly, I think.

KING: Would you say this is the worst public thing that's ever happened to you?

ROSS: Yes I do.

KING: Do you plan to bring any charges against the woman or against Heathrow, or do you plan to file any lawsuits?

ROSS: I think I will talk to my lawyer, but I didn't -- even when I complained at the airport, I didn't know that I could possibly call the police. No one gave me those options. Maybe that's what I should have done. You know, I just -- you know, I didn't know what to do actually.

KING: Have you ever been physically searched before at Heathrow?

ROSS: Not -- no I have not.

KING: And someone said today that you were kidding around on an MTV Music Awards show, and that you touched rapper Lil' Kim's breasts. Is that true?

ROSS: Yes I did. And I apologize for that behavior as well, too. I did.

KING: Even though you were just kidding around.

ROSS: You know, you're caught up in the MTV Awards, and all of that and I just -- yes, I was like a mother, hopefully a mother there, trying to say, oh my God, why are you doing this? I even talked to her and asked her to -- she was she was beautiful and that she didn't need to dress in that manner.

KING: Are you going to be hesitant about going back to Great Britain?

ROSS: I'm sorry, can't hear you.

KING: Are you going to be hesitant about going back to Great Britain.

ROSS: I'm supposed to go back next month. And I do, I spend a lot of time there. My husband's work is there. My record company, EMI, is there, so I will probably spend a lot of time back in the UK.

KING: We'll be right back with Diana Ross. She's with us for the full hour. We'll take your phone calls.

This is LARRY KING LIVE. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Let's go to some calls for one of the great music stars, Diana Ross, who has a new album coming out and is also -- her new album "Everyday Is A New Day" will come October 11. And this year she signed a deal to produce a four hour mini-series for ABC, starred in a TV movie, "Double Platinum" with Brandy, and her recent album "One Woman: The Ultimate Collection," which was released in Britain, went triple platinum.

Austin, Texas for Diana Ross. Hello. I'm sorry. Toronto and then Austin. I'll get to you Austin. Toronto first, go ahead.

CALLER: Good evening, Larry. Ms. Ross, I am a female security guard in Toronto and I wanted to tell you when you were here you were nothing but pleasant, when you had Graham Cort (ph) with you. My question to you is, because of this incident -- and I'm sure in many other situations -- do you feel that you're going to and do you feel that you have to have a body guard on you 24/7 now? Are you that affected by it?

KING: Ma'am, will you hold on? I want to ask you a question. But, Diana, do you want to answer first?

ROSS: You know, I'm having trouble hearing.

KING: OK. I'll have to repeat it. I'm sorry about this sound system. What she said was she is -- she does that kind of work at the Toronto airport and that every time you've been there you've been very kind and they've never had a problem with you. But she wanted to know if now you'd consider using a bodyguard, to have someone with you 24 hours a day?

ROSS: You know, Larry, everybody knows that I don't have an entourage with me. I've been able to carve out a life that I can be with my children and I can have a life that, you know, that I don't really need to have a lot of people around me, security and bodyguard. I will hope that I can always remain the same way. I don't know that always they help. Sometimes bodyguards create problems, or -- you know, I don't like that -- I'm able able to talk with people. When I'm performing I walk into the audience. I don't have a problem about being with people.

KING: So you don't intend, when you go back to Great Britain, to have one -- a bodyguard along with you?

ROSS: No, I don't. I have -- if I'm in big stadiums I have security guards, but it's not...

KING: Ma'am, are you still there?

CALLER: Yes, I am.

KING: OK. In Toronto, if the beeper goes off, do they use a wand or do they physically touch?

CALLER: Well, I don't work in the airport. I worked in a venue on her dressing room in a concert. And my experiences with her were nothing but positive, and there is no reason for a female security guard to touch the principal. There is no reason whatsoever. I think she's entirely justified. Her reaction was normal. And really some people become star struck in the profession that I'm in, unfortunately, and I work with a lot of those people. But Diana deserves somebody who is by her side all the time and she could consider that seriously.

KING: OK. Thank you. She said -- did you hear her, Diana?

ROSS: Larry, the 40 years of my career I have a relationship with police officers, security people and it's always good and pleasant. It has never been like this before.

KING: Austin, Texas, for Diana Ross. Hello.

CALLER: Hi. People are arrested everyday and the procedure that she -- Ms. Ross described is probably typical of any arrest situation. Why would it be any different simply because it's Diana Ross? I'm sure that it's stressful, but it's an arrest and there are certain things that they have to do anyway.

ROSS: Yes. I didn't expect it to be different. I was just accounting of my fears. It was very frightening to me and I would imagine anyone in that situation that's never been in a police station before -- as I said to you, I know that they were all doing their job, but I'm telling you it was really scary. And I just -- I had never had that happen to me before and I know that there's people that have it happen to them, but it doesn't mean that it's not frightening.

KING: Diana, when they took you off the plane, what did they say to you? Did they give you a reason why -- I mean, it had to be embarrassing with the passengers sitting there and everything -- why they were taking you off?

ROSS: Yes. They said they wanted to -- I had to be detained to make a statement about what had just happened and I just said, no I don't want to. I want to go home. And they said, "No, you have to come with us." And that's when I realized that this is really serious and it was scary. You know, I'm not -- I don't -- if I were any -- I think -- I don't expect anything special. I'm just accounting that how frightening it was the way it is. It is a procedure. They give you your rights, but it's really a frightening place to be in.

KING: We'll take a break and be back with more of Diana Ross on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE after this.

KING: We're back with Diana Ross. We go to Roscoe, Illinois. Hello.

CALLER: Good evening, Larry. I just have a comment and a question. About five years ago, I went through Heathrow security without setting off the metal detector. I was still physically searched in front of my three children. It was extremely upsetting, especially to my little one who was only four. And I just want to ask Ms. Ross if she is going to pursue this any further. I certainly hope she does.

KING: Diana?

ROSS: I'm not sure.

KING: You might, you might not? You're going to talk to a lawyer though?

ROSS: I'm not sure, Larry, because I think when you try to do the right thing sometimes it backfires. And so I'm not sure, really.

KING: Meaning? You mean, if you make more of a case of it, you'll be in more trouble or what?

ROSS: You know, I have to work all over the world. You know, I don't know that I'm the one that needs to, you know, make the stand. I think if there are women out there that have been felt the way that I felt and they want to try to figure out how we can align, and you know, maybe make a difference somehow -- maybe they can change their procedures -- I would like that. But I don't know that, you know, my -- you know, I'm a family person. I'm concerned about my kids. My kids are very scared, you know, and I...

KING: How old are they now? How old are your kids?

ROSS: Well, I got older girls who are very independent and on their own. But my two boys, 11 and 12-year-olds.

KING: Caller, are you still on the phone?

CALLER: Yes, I am.

KING: All right. You didn't set off the beeper and they still physically searched you?

CALLER: They pulled me aside. I did not set off the beeper. I went through the metal detector, no problem. They pulled me aside. They don't even put you behind a curtain or anything. It is absolutely humiliating.

KING: Did you ask why?

CALLER: No, I didn't.

KING: Why not?

CALLER: I was absolutely in shock. You just never expect that, something like that to happen.

KING: Did they touch intimate parts?

CALLER: Yes, they did. Yes, they did.

KING: That does not -- in American airports, it's a wand, right?

CALLER: Exactly. I didn't even...

ROSS: They have a wand, yes.

CALLER: Right.

ROSS: This girl was going so fast to me, she actually -- her hands between my -- on my thighs, between my legs. It was absolutely out of order, and it really was wrong.

KING: Ma'am, have you -- caller, you never did anything with this other than call this show now? In other words, you never filed a protest, never wrote to Heathrow, never told the airline?

CALLER: I guess I was just in a state of absolute shock. We wanted to -- my daughter was going -- my older daughter was going to school in London, and we were going over, taking a flight from London to Paris. And we needed to get on the plane quickly, and it happened so quickly that -- and it's such -- it's such a humiliating experience that it really didn't even sink in until after I was even on the plane, what had happened. It just didn't -- but my daughter, like I said, my 4-year-old was extremely upset, because she witnessed the whole thing.

KING: Diana, is it your suspicion...

ROSS: One of the -- one of the British Airways people -- one of the British Airways people said that his wife came through there and was in tears. And there were so many other women, they were so much in agreement. I didn't feel like I was standing alone, but I did feel that -- I kept saying to myself, OK, this must be something that I need do at this time in my life, is to try to find out what this is going to lead to. I didn't go there to try -- for this to happen at all.

KING: Is it your suspicion, Diana, that this woman was deliberately touching your intimate parts? That you were Diana Ross and she was -- is that your feeling?

ROSS: No, I don't think so. I think this woman...

KING: You think she was just doing her job?

ROSS: Doing her job really fast, as fast as she can, not doing whatever their normal procedures -- just going through the process. But then when I said, "Why are you doing it like that?" then she got arrogant. But I don't think -- you know, I mean, I don't think it was a sexual thing from her point of view or that it was Diana Ross. I just think she was going through her routine so quickly that she had forgotten that there are people here, humans, that you can't touch in this way. You know, and then she was -- you know, she was very -- had, you know, an attitude that, you know, like, "If you don't like it, too bad." You know?

KING: Were the -- the person with British Airways, was it a she?

ROSS: Yes.

KING: Was she surprised?

ROSS: The person that was...

KING: Escorting you?

ROSS: Yes. Yes, she was very surprised. Yes.

KING: She had not seen this happen to other females before that she'd escorted to the Concorde?

ROSS: She said -- she said to me that they have to go through security all the time, but they have to take their badges off and everything. So they dress accordingly. They make sure that they don't have metal on them in any way. But they go back-and-forth through there all the time, she said. And it is very difficult for someone with their hands, to put their hands on your breast. See, you know, I said: "Do you do this to men? Do you touch their private parts as well?" How do you -- "How do you get away with this? You know, that you can go around a person's breasts and between their legs and down their butt." I mean...

KING: Did anyone ever answer you? Have you heard an answer to this from anyone in Great Britain as to why they do this?

ROSS: The only answers -- the answer I only got, it's my job, this is the way it's done. You know, if you don't like it, write a letter. They gave me a pamphlet to fill out to say -- you know, to complain. And -- of which the girl from British Airways -- I can't even remember her name, but a very wonderful girl -- found out the name of where I should write it. And I kept the letter with me. I didn't even bring it. I wish I could show you. But it was just like, "Do you enjoy the flight?" Or "What bothers you?" And you're supposed to fill it out. And that's all I had.

KING: Our guest is...

ROSS: And I mean, I wish I could have called the police. I didn't even know that that was my option. You know, I didn't know that. I didn't want to miss my plane. I wanted to come home.

KING: Or you would have called the police right there...

ROSS: I guess I could have.

KING: ... to complain about how you were touched?

ROSS: I could have, but I didn't know that was an option, Larry. I just wanted to complain to someone there.

KING: We'll take a break. And as we go to break, let's watch a little happier days. Diana Ross at work. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF DIANA ROSS SINGING HER LATEST SINGLE, 'NOT OVER YOU YET')

KING: We're back with Diana Ross. We go to Miami. Hello.

CALLER: Yes, Diana. I have the -- how are you, Larry? How are you, Diana?

KING: I'm fine.

CALLER: I have the solution for Diana. Diana, what I suggest for you is to fly private. Don't do it anymore. Just fly private. Take you -- there are a lot of companies that can do a good job for you and you don't have to put up with so many complications in these crazy airports. So don't fly anymore through that London airport. I have very many difficulties. You fly private. It'll take you -- only cost you maybe $3,000, $4,000 more, and you'll have no problem. It will go straight from London to New York. Good luck, Diana.

KING: Warren -- a plug for Warren Buffet who has a lot of private plane business. Why not private, Diana? Diana?

ROSS: I try to fly private planes sometimes, but I want to go in the airlines that I feel very safe with. Sometimes I try to fly charter planes if I can. It's very expensive. It's not the way -- it's not the way I live. Even though I know people say certain things, I'm quite frugal about my -- the way I travel. And I travel back-and-forth, and I use the commercial airlines. I feel safer.

KING: To New York City for Diana Ross, hello.

CALLER: Yes. You don't hear about Miss Ross very much often now in the news. Hello?

KING: Yes. Go ahead.

CALLER: I was wondering if it's a publicity stunt on her part?

KING: OK. I'll ask you. Diana, you didn't hear it. She was asking if this possibly was to gain publicity for you.

ROSS: You know, I haven't worked a lot this year. I've decided to spend a lot of time raising my children, so I haven't really traveled a lot.

You know, I think people think that everything you do has to do with, you know, a career and publicizing, and that's not who I am. I don't know how to explain that anymore than what it is.

KING: You've had a life...

ROSS: I've had a career. Do you know how long I've been performing? It's been...

KING: How long?

ROSS: ... you know, 40 years or more. You know, this is -- you know, I'm trying to decide how much work I want to do and what I don't want to do. And I do it a lot because it's my life. I like to stay busy. I'm not the kind of person who kind of just stays home. But it's -- everything I do in my life is not related around publicity.

KING: Why don't you do more film work, by the way?

ROSS: What about film work?

KING: Why don't you do more?

ROSS: The projects don't seem to be there, Larry. I've done some good pieces on television. I've tried to -- I've worked Hollywood, trying to do more film projects. It's not that easy. My agent said that for "artists like myself, in this age-group," it's just very difficult to find work as an actress.

KING: We'll be back with our remaining moments with Diana Ross on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE, after this.

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KING: We're back with our remaining moments with Diana Ross. Chicago, hello.

CALLER: Yes, hi. My name is Loretta. I'm from Chicago, Illinois. And I want to say to Diana, please, you're going to have to stick to it. It's happened to me. I'm married to someone who is a CEO of a major corporation here in Chicago. They are humiliating. We need you. We need you to stand up. Write a letter to the queen. Do any type of correspondence. Speak out, regardless of what anyone says to you, Diana. We need to you get a change made.

KING: Has this happened to you?

CALLER: Yes it has. And it is humiliating. And what I said when the person did that to me was, "Excuse me? What are you doing to me." And she says, "If you don't like, go see my supervisor." And I didn't have time for that. I wanted to go home, just like Diana is saying. It's horrible. But, Diana, stick to it. We support you, sweetheart, and go for it. Do whatever it takes. And if you need a rally behind you, we are here, we are here. Regardless of what these callers say about a publicity stunt or whatever to promote your records, they don't have a clue, they're clueless. Do what you need to do.

ROSS: Nobody is going to go to a police station or to a jail for a publicity stunt. That would be a really stupid thing to do. Nobody is going to go and be, you know, put in this kind of situation to try to for publicity.

KING: Diana, do you know if this is the way they do it at other airports in Europe, or is this unique to London?

ROSS: You know, I'm not sure, because I've traveled so much, Larry. I just have never come across this kind of thing before.

KING: Have you ever had beepers go off?

ROSS: You know, maybe I didn't have metal on me or maybe I took my -- you know, someone was making a comment that computers have more, you know, security than people. I mean, you go through, you know, a line, and you have to go through this kind -- no one has ever been like this to me before, and I haven't had any special treatment, and I know people think that I probably have. I go through the same procedures everyone else has. This was far beyond -- you can tell when someone touches you in a way that is not correct. And you need to -- you can't just run past and just say, OK, did that really happen? And then forget did it. I think you have to make a statement. And you know, maybe everybody should write letters. I don't know. I really don't know what should happen from this.

KING: Diana, thank you for coming. Thank you for being with us tonight.

ROSS: Larry, thank you very much. I really do...

KING: Diana Ross, and her side of the story, as my friend Paul Harvey would say.

Reuters Back To The Top

Security Guard Allegedly Assaulted by Pop Diva

By Lyndsay Griffiths

LONDON (Reuters) - American pop diva Diana Ross was released with a warning by British police Wednesday after being arrested for allegedly assaulting a security guard who searched her at London's Heathrow airport.

Ross was held after protesting that the female guard touched her breast during the search, and touching the guard's breast in response, a witness said.

Ross, who then boarded the supersonic Concorde airliner but was taken off in tears by police, looked harassed when she was released after the five-hour ordeal and was expected to fly straight home to the United States.

``She has been released after being cautioned,'' a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said. ``It is a black mark, but not a charge. That was deemed the appropriate action.''

Police did not specify whether the alleged assault consisted of Ross having touched the security guard's breast or whether there was more to the incident.

The fracas erupted in mid-morning as the superstar of pop and soul music prepared to board a supersonic flight to New York.

A furious Ross accused the guard of touching her breast during a routine body check and a witness said the singer reacted by touching the security officer's breast, exclaiming: ''How do you like it?''

Ross then stormed off to the VIP lounge, telling reporters: ''I'm absolutely furious. Do you know when they search you, they actually touch your breast? It's disgraceful. They wouldn't touch a man's penis, would they?'' she said.

Ross made her name with hits on the Motown label and went on to become one of the greatest female artistes of all time. While beloved by music fans around the world, she has earned a reputation as an often imperious and temperamental star.

By cautioning the singer, police in effect put a black mark next to Ross's name so the alleged assault can be taken into account in case of any future such incidents.

Dressed in black with lilac-colored boots and a large silver belt, a distressed Ross was jostled by photographers as she hurried out of the police station, escorted by officers trying vainly to keep the lenses at bay.

``I've been treated wonderfully,'' the star said before being whisked away in a waiting car.

The airport earlier shrugged off the star's vociferous criticism of its security procedures, insisting it could not tailor its checks to suit the sensitivities of stars.

``Occasionally high-profile celebrities take offence at having to comply with the same procedure as other passengers and it would appear that this has been the case,'' a spokesman for airport operators BAA Heathrow said.

``It's strange how easily negative labels are attached to women who want to exert control over their own careers or take responsibility for how they're represented,'' Ross once said.

Ross made her name in the 1960s with the Supremes, whose hits included ``Baby Love'' and ``Stop, in the Name of Love.''

The Sun Back To The Top

Diana Ross Deserves Immortality

by Richard Littlejohn

If Diana Ross hadn't made another record after 1969 she would still deserve immortality. Her B-sides were better than most people's A-sides.

I'm listening to Back In My Arms Again, recorded in Detroit in 1965, as I'm writing this. I still can't hear Reflections without shivering and the last record she made with The Supremes, Someday We'll Be Together, is as good as anything she's ever done.

In a world of hype and mediocrity, Diana Ross is a real star. She clawed her way out of the ghetto to become the best-selling female singer on the planet. Yet throughout she has behaved with great dignity, poise and style. Even when she was in the gutter she was staring at the stars, unlike some of the lowlife 'megastars' these days who have risen above the gutter but are
still staring down the drain.

So she deserved better than the treatment she received at Heathrow this week. If she was upset at having her breasts fondled by a security guard, she was entitled to be. Yeah, yeah, I know all the arguments about stars being treated just the same as anyone else. But this was way over the top. Why did it take four coppers to arrest her on board Concorde? Why the hell was her luggage taken off the plane, inconveniencing all the other passengers? And why was it necessary to keep her in custody for five hours?

She wouldn't have received that kind of attention if she'd burgled British Airways' offices or broken into every vehicle in the car park. Where's the sense of priorities, here? You can't help concluding that she was singled out because she was Diana Ross. There's nothing pygmies like more than humiliating the famous. And, as I've remarked before, if you give someone a uniform and a modicum of authority they will always, always, always abuse it.

When we talk about Nazi Germany, we like to comfort ourselves with the belief that 'it couldn't happen here.' Believe me, it could, and one day it probably will.

Yet after this ordeal, Miss Ross, though shaken and close to tears, still had the grace to remark that she thought our police were wonderful. What a star.