HE is Isibaya's Fezile, the gorgeous and hopelessly romantic bodyguard who stole our hearts with his relationship with the beautiful Qondi. His character is the embodiment of the fantasy man - strong, silent, sexy and protective.

HE is Isibaya's Fezile, the gorgeous and hopelessly romantic bodyguard who stole our hearts with his relationship with the beautiful Qondi. His character is the embodiment of the fantasy man - strong, silent, sexy and protective.

But Fezile and the actor who plays him, Andile Mxakaza, are worlds apart. There is nothing shy or reserved about Mxakaza.

This model-turned-fitness-trainer-turned-actor is a funny chatterbox who hardly comes up for air once he gets started.

His perfectly defined body looks like a granite sculpture even through the clothes, and the face is all angular cheekbones and charming smile.

It's no wonder he's been in the modelling industry for almost two decades.

"I started modelling when I was 17 and I've never stopped. I was raised in a Christian home, so my dad wasn't a fan of modelling, and I was always on the road and he worried that my schoolwork would suffer," says Mxakaza.

He still keeps pictures of himself as a younger model on his cellphone because, he says, they remind him of how far he has come.

"My childhood experiences made me who I am and grounded me. Though I didn't know it then, those experiences groomed me for the industry I'm in now," says the 36-year-old.

There was no money for varsity after matric, so Mxakaza packed his bags and moved to Joburg to pursue modelling.

"It was good for a while and I landed jobs for big companies like Edgars.

"But it got dry and I realised that I couldn't rely on my modelling, so I decided to become a fitness consultant," he says.

A meeting with director and producer Angus Gibson at the gym landed him his first TV role on the series Heartlines.

He was just an extra, but it led to bigger things.

"I remember they were looking for the character of Sgonondo on Zone 14 and they were struggling to find the right person.

"Tony Kgoroge kept asking me to try out and I didn't want to and said no about four times before taking the job," he laughs.

But that little confidence speed bump is a thing of the past. This actor is confident and believes in his abilities, which is what has made him successful in his career without any training.

The only acting training he has is from former Zone 14 colleague Kere Nyawo (Popeye).

"I had struggled a little with my scenes, so I called Popeye. He made me act out many different roles and he would give me feedback. That's the only training I have and it made a huge impact on my career."

His role on Isibaya is nothing like any of his previous work.

"When I started on Isibaya, a lot of people thought my character was boring and they were impatient with Fezile. But they seem to have fallen in love with him now," he says.

The role has turned the uMlazi native into a household name and his on-screen relationship has turned him into swoon material for the ladies.

He laughs and says he doesn't mind the attention, as long as the legion of fans respect him and his personal space. And that includes not revealing much about his personal life.

"All I can say is that I am a father and I hope to be married soon. I don't consider myself a celebrity, so people don't need to know about my personal life," he says.

He doesn't consider himself a sexy man, which is shocking because he was nominated as Mzansi's sexiest and Cosmo's sexiest man in the past year alone.

While being in the entertainment industry has proved to be challenging time-wise, Mxakaza makes time for mentoring young people, something that is close to his heart.

"I didn't have any help after I finished my matric and I know how tough it is, so I help orphaned students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal by funding their education. I'm only helping four of them at the moment, but I hope to one day help 50," he says.