Whozzat guy with Madonna?

The ‘mystery man’ is actually a London-based Pilates instructor and a close friend of Madonna

Yesterday we showed you this picture of Madonna kissing a tall, well built man and it triggered intense speculation about his identity. While some sporadic reports went to the extent of guestimating that he was part of her security detail, it turns out that he’s actually a close friend of the pop star.

His name is James D’silva and he’s a London-based Pilates instructor. After Madonna’s fall from a horse in 2005, in which she suffered several broken bones, she had to abandon her vigourous yoga regime. D’Silva used his gentle Pilates exercises to help her recover fast from her injuries. Madonna, who calls him a ‘genius’, even recommended him to all her A-list friends. “Now all of my girlfriends go to him and we’re fighting to have appointments,” she’d been reported as saying earlier.

James, who trained as a ballet dancer in his native Goa, went to England 21 years ago. He turned a yoga instructor and later discovered Gyrotonics. After studying it under its inventor, Romanian dancer Juliu Horvath, James took the system a stage further and incorporated some other elements in it.

James has been accompanying Madonna to all her outings and was even with her for the sea-side dinner party at Colaba on Tuesday night. There are unconfirmed reports that Madonna might make a trip to Goa to meet James’ mother.