20 Minutes Online – Van Damme is impressed by ex-Miss Switzerland Nadine Vinzens

When Jean-Claude van Damme visited Basel, he wanted to get to know one Swiss woman close-up. Van Damme’s friend and bodyguard tells us what happened between the two. He knows the whims and wishes of the stars. Bodyguard Patrick Baiata and his team were responsible for the security of Hollywood star Jean-Claude van Damme at the Budo Gala in Basel. Baiata, himself a friend of the Belgian martial artist, is also the contact person for certain of the star’s wishes. “We are the closest people to the celebs and therefore often the first who catch wind of their wants. For example, Jean-Claude absolutely wanted to spend the evening with Nadine Vinzens, whom he already knew from Los Angeles. So we asked her to come to the afterparty”, said the bodyguard to 20 Minutes Online. Nadine was still in the cloakroom when her management learned of van Damme’s wish. “We brought Nadine to van Damme’s lounge. Jean-Claude was very happy to see Nadine”, confirmed her manager Claudio Catrambone when asked. The ex-pageant winner partied with her famous actor friend at the aftershow party in Basel’s “Joggeli” – and then continued socializing in his hotel suite. “It was an enjoyable evening”, remembers Baiata. “We sat comfortably in his suite and chatted until late at night.” “Be alert as always” For a bodyguard it was a more comfortable workplace than the packed afterparty, he explained. Fans and autograph seekers are no problem for Patrick Baiata, head of the security company “P-Guards”. He gained experience with groupies while accompanying the Italian national football team and the AC Milan squad. He has also protected Italian superstar Eros Ramazotti, heartthrob Enrique Iglesias and the controversial Dieter Bohlen. The 33 year-old often works in Dubai, where he is responsible for the security of numerous high society families. Requests usually have a very short lead-time says Baiata: I often only know a short time beforehand which star is the subject of an assignment. “We need to be extremely flexible and always alert, but I love the variation. Each day it’s something new with new people. That’s what my job offers.” Sometimes friendships even develop: Jean-Claude van Damme, for example, wants to come visit his friends in Switzerland during the summer. That will be private, without cameras – and maybe even without bodyguards.