Earlier this week, popular actor and television personality Rohit Khandelwal took home the coveted title of Mr. World, making him the first Indian man to do so.

The 26-year-old Khandelwal beat out 46 other participants for the title at the competition’s grand finale in Southport, UK. This final pageant came at the end of a nearly year-long process in which Khandelwal and the other finalists competed in various qualifiers around the world.

After graduating college, the Hyderabad native worked as ground staff for an airline before being discovered by a modeling agency. Once he started modeling, he began to appear on TV, which resulted in him landing on well-known shows such as Yeh Hai Aashiqui and Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya.

Of his win, he said: “I feel so privileged and humbled to be Mr World 2016. I would like to thank all my fans and all the people who have been giving me all their blessings. It is only your love and support that has been my inspiration to win Mr World 2016. It has been an amazing journey to this point, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.”

Khandelwal will officially hold the title of "World's Most Desirable Man" for a year, in which time he'll travel the world as an ambassador of good will.

Follow his adventures as Mr. World, here.

h/t: Indian Express