Eastenders actor Ace Bhatti has said that he is surprised at his new-found heart-throb status.
Bhatti plays Yusef Khan in the soap, who is currently embroiled in a love triangle with Zainab and Masood.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, he said: "It's a great compliment, but a complete surprise,"
"Maybe women love the character, but if they get to know me they find I'm not smooth, I'm not sophisticated and I don't drive flash cars. I prefer trainers and jeans to smart suits.
"I moved down to London in my early 20s to go to drama school. I funded myself which was tough at times. Over a weekend I'd only have about a fiver to live on. I had loads of jobs - delivery driving, working in a warehouse, behind the till in a 24-hour garage. But my first job was cleaning the toilets in the drama school.
"I used to get up at six, clean the loos and then go to 12 hours of classes, It was pretty tiring. I remember actually falling asleep in a cubicle once. I must have just laid my head down and next thing a foreign student was tapping me on the shoulder waking me up. I must have looked weird lying there with my Marigold gloves on."
