Kim Kardashian West's assistant reveals what her life is really like

While it sometimes seems we can’t escape certain celebrities, the machine which is their behind-the-scenes team are rarely known.

Kim Kardashian West has gone from being a reality TV star to one of the world’s most recognisable women. She has built a tech empire (earning $52 million between June 2014 and June 2015 alrgely thanks to her Kim Kardashian Hollywood Game), launched multiple clothing lines, produced more reality TV shows and a subscription-based app.

Of course, she has not managed to achieve all of this by herself. Stephanie Shepherd is Kardashian West’s assistant. She was seen with her arm around the businesswoman after Kardashian West was the victim of a highly-publicised armed robbery in Paris in November.

“Kim and I text all day every day,” she told Refinery 29. “From the second we wake up until we go to bed, so we just bounce off ideas, like ‘Oh my God this is so funny, let’s make it a Kimoji!’”

She says there are three key things to being a celebrities’ personal assistant: “If you mess up, take responsibility and own it”. Secondly, “Be resourceful. If your boss wants or needs something, you gotta do whatever it takes to make it happen.” And, thirdly, “Take notes. Write sh*t down. Even if you think you’re going to remember in your head, you’re not.”

The most challenging part of Sheppherd’s three-year job, to date, was the extravagant Italian nuptials between Kardashian West and Kanye West in 2014. She describes not even seeing the ceremony as she was running around in joggers and a t-shirt locating Caitlyn Jenner’s suit, getting the various Kardashian-Jenner siblings ready and filming personal moments for Keeping up with the Kardashians.

“I was still relatively new back then. I remember just not sleeping that whole week, and then I came home and I got pulled over on Hollywood Boulevard and I just started crying to the police officer, like, 'Please, I'm just exhausted, I gotta go home; you don’t understand!'…But it was all worth it, because it was the most beautiful day.”

Sheppherd also spoke about the Paris robbery, calling the ordeal “terrifying” and saying it has also had a lasting effect on how she thinks about security and personal safety. She added that it is her natural instinct to protect the star and she would “truly take a bullet for her”.

“At the time, I had to hold it together and make sure everything was getting handled and that we could get Kim home as quickly and safely as possible,” she explained. “Obviously, I can’t even begin to imagine what she’s gone through, what she’s had to deal with, but even I have been more cautious. We have alarms and security plans and all that. Still, whenever I’ve had to stay home alone, I get a little scared. So, I did get a couple of extra pepper sprays.”

When your life is absorbed by someone else’s it must been the assistant’s personal life might take a back seat. Shepherd admitted she did not date anyone for the first two years of working with the 36-year-old because there simply wasn’t time. Since then, any dates she has had have mainly been through Kanye West.

While being at a celebrities’ beck and call must be demanding and tiring, the interview shows there are also definite perks to being in the position. Her Christmas present from Kanye West was the highly-sought after snakeskin Yeezy boots. As for the famously elusive yet egocentric rapper, Shepherd said most people would be surprised to find out how funny he is.

“I know everyone thinks he’s so deep and serious, but he’s also so funny, like he has me rolling laughing and sometimes I’m like, Is this inappropriate that I’m laughing so hard? But he’s just so f***ing hilarious, he has these one-liners and he’s just so unfiltered. He makes me laugh so hard, but he’s also truly the hardest-working man I’ve ever met.”

It also appears loyalty pays off when it comes to the Kardashian clan as Shepherd was recently promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Kardashian West brands meaning she heads up many of the star’s business ventures.