WATCH: Vatiswa Ndara reflects on the tough times that made her a tough woman

Award-winning actress Vatiswa Ndara's journey to the top definitely wasn't a walk in the park, and was filled with huge speed bumps along the way. From inconsistent jobs to insecurities over her body and being sexually harassed at the workplace - Vatiswa has been through the most.  

Speaking to TshisaLIVE the actress said the challenges she experienced motivated her to work harder. 

The actress said that one of the toughest periods in her life was when she had to take a hiatus from the industry after apparently being a victim of sexual harassment at her workplace. 

"That was probably one of the toughest periods [in my life] where I was doing so well and someone decided, 'okay I'm gonna show you'. It was the whole sexual harassment thing that happened... Because I'm a person who stands up and I won't budge from my principles or believes, my contracts were terminated and I was left with just one contract," she said.

Vatiswa said she went back home to the Eastern Cape where she volunteered at an organisation that helped care for the elderly, which helped her overcome the ordeal. 

After spending just over two years away from the spotlight, Vatiswa decided to pick herself up and follow her passion for acting. 

Now, with over a decade in the industry, Vatiswa said it was her fighting spirit that kept her motivated when things didn't go according to plan. 

"I got a role on Generations as Mamfundisi and I thought, 'okay things are happening now'," she said. 

However, that was short lived as after that role Vatiswa received 'dololo' jobs after Mamfundisi's time came to an end.

Vatiswa explained that being unemployed severely affected her self-esteem. The actress convinced herself that she was not the right size and didn't have the perfect face for the industry. 

"So I think they looked at me and thought 'uhm we don't want someone who is going to fill up the whole screen and covers everybody else up. She's too fat!' So my self esteem was also [negatively] affected," she said.

Despite all the hardships she's been through Vatiswa's fighting spirit remained a constant and today she's considered a veteran in the acting world.