Robyn Crawford claims she and Whitney Houston were lovers: 'She said we shouldn't be physical anymore'

Whitney Houston’s best friend Robyn Crawford has previously chosen not to comment on the speculation surrounding her relationship with the late singer, but is now breaking her silence in her upcoming book, A Song for You: My Life With Whitney Houston.

In an extract from the book published by People, Crawford alleges the pair were lovers, something which has been long rumored.

Whitney Houston Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford in happier days in New York City RTNBaker / MediaPunch/IPX
Robyn Crawford (far right) has written a memoir detailing her relationship with Whitney Houston. (Photo: RTNBaker / MediaPunch/IPX)

After meeting as teenagers at a summer camp in 1980, Crawford claims the pair went on to begin a physical relationship, which she says was cut short when Houston signed a record deal with Clive Davis at Arista.

“She said we shouldn’t be physical anymore because it would make our journey even more difficult," writes Crawford. “She said if people find out about us, they would use this against us and back in the ’80s that’s how it felt.”

The two still remained friends, however. Crawford writes, “I kept it safe. I found comfort in my silence.”

Crawford also alleges that Houston's mother Cissy voiced disapproval at a same -sex relationship between the two, saying, “Whitney told me her mother said it wasn’t natural for two women to be that close but we were that close.”

Walt Disney Television via Getty Images SPECIAL - SUPERSTARS AND THEIR MOMS - Whitney and Cissy Houston are featured on a special that celebrated moms and aired on Mother's Day, May 10,1987 on the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network.  (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images) WHITNEY HOUSTON, CISSY HOUSTON
Crawford claims that Cissy Houston discouraged Whitney from getting too close to her. (Photo: Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)

The “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” singer went on to marry R&B artist Bobby Brown, and had daughter Bobbi Kristina with him in 1993. The couple divorced in 2007. Houston died in 2012 at the age of 48, while Bobbi Kristina died in 2015.

In 2016, Brown claimed his ex-wife would still be alive if Crawford had been accepted into her life.

Director Kevin MacDonald was behind the 2018 documentary about the singer, Whitney, and while there were initial discussions about her participation, Crawford eventually declined to be in the production.

Robyn Crawford (right) in 2003. (Photo: KMazur/WireImage for Esquire Magazine - USA)
Robyn Crawford (right) in 2003. (Photo: KMazur/WireImage for Esquire Magazine - USA)

However, Macdonald has discussed how Houston's family generally characterized the two women as lovers.

“I think it’s fairly obvious when you talk to the family and friends, nobody is denying that Whitney and Robyn had a physical relationship — a sexual relationship,” Macdonald said.

“They were partners for a number of years. My understanding is that relationship was over in a romantic sense by the mid-’80s when Whitney became a big star.”

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