Michael Jackson was so paranoid his children would fall ill or injure themselves he "child-Proofed" hotel rooms with cardboard boxes and inspected every meal before allowing them to eat.

The King of Pop insisted on taking his three kids - Prince Michael Jr., 12, Paris Michael Katherine, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, known as 'Blanket' - with him when he travelled the world.

But he insisted on making every hotel he stayed at ultra-safe before moving in - and was obsessed with making sure they ate healthy food.

Jackson's former personal photographer, Ian Barkley, tells Eonline.com, "His kids totally love their dad and he was extremely protective over them. Even when we were just around his staff, he was protective.

"We would baby-Proof everywhere, like really expensive suites. They would tape up every corner with cardboard and make sure the kids couldn't hurt themselves, and they were very strict on what the kids would eat to make sure they didn't have allergies.

"To some it was odd, but under the circumstances it was understandable."

And Barkley insists Jackson was a Jekyll and Hyde character because of his prescription drug use, adding: "There were two sides to him. When he wasn't dosed up on pills, he was extremely mentally sound, very business-like, very smart, but when he was on drugs, he would do some really odd things.

"It was basically flipping a coin and depending on what day it was, was how he was. Some days Michael would show up to an event and we could tell because he had this giggly laughing face on. I am not sure what kind of meds, but I know there were mixtures."