Derrick Evans
Derrick Errol Evans, better known as "Mr Motivator", is a Jamaican-born British fitness instructor. He rose to fame in 1993 through appearances on the UK breakfast television show GMTV, where he performed live fitness sessions and offered tips and advice to viewers. Mr Motivator would often perform these workout sessions live before Power Rangers would air as part of GMTV programming. Mr Motivator mostly wore tight fitting and very colourful spandex outfits for his fitness sessions. In response to the popularity of his fitness sessions, he released a number of fitness and workout videos in the 1990s.
Early life and career
Evans was born on 15 November 1952 in Manchester Parish, Jamaica to a single mother who gave him away when he was three months. His adopted father, Stanford Rose, was a farmer on a small farm in Jamaica. Evans said he was sexually abused as a child. His adopted family moved in 1961 to Leicester in the UK where his father worked as a labourer on a knitwear factory. His mother, Teresa, left the UK after two years because of the climate but his adopted father stayed until Evans was 17. Evans first job at 17 was working for the East Midlands Gas Board in the customer complaints department. He said that the worst time in his life was when he was 22, had a three-year old daughter, could not pay his bills and was homeless for nine months. He sold costume jewellery in high street shops and became financially secure.In 1983 he taught exercise classes at a church hall in Neasden, North West London. His classes became popular and he was asked by the British Heart Foundation to give classes throughout the country. He applied repeatedly to be taken on by ITV and eventually in 1993 Greg Dyke hired him for the breakfast show GMTV.
Evans said the name Mr Motivator came from street performances he, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan gave to crowds in shopping centres and streets. Finnigan shouted that Evans was a motivator and the name stuck.
GMTV (1993–2000)
Evans found fame on the British breakfast programme GMTV in 1993 as Mr. Motivator, promoting health and fitness as a way of life. He performed fitness routines live on-air in highly coloured outfits, which quickly became his trademark. His appearances on GMTV led to Evans becoming well known in the UK. Evans' popularity on GMTV led to the release of a number of fitness videos including Mr. Motivator's 10 Minute BLTs, Mr. Motivator's 10 Minute Workouts, Body Conditioner: Shot in Barbados, BLT2: Shot in Australia, and Bums Legs & Tums. One of his videos sold 1.5 million copies and he is reported to have sold the most fitness DVDs in the UK.Evans left GMTV in 2000, and went back to Jamaica because his daughter had breathing problems.
After settling back down in Jamaica, Evans then started up a tourism business called H'Evans Scent, which offers activities such as ziplining and paintballing. Evans continued to make personal appearances at events in the UK for the following decade. After leaving GMTV, and together with his son Benjamin, Evans formed his production company "Wicked Productions" and continued to release fitness videos, as well as making personal appearances, leading sales conferences, instructing team building exercises, and motivational talks for companies and organisations.
GMTV Return (2009)
In 2009, Evans returned to GMTV as Mr Motivator for a three-week-long special to promote the public health programme Change4Life. This led to Evans meeting the then British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, in promotion of the NHS Change4Life campaign. Evans also released in 2016 his autobiography The Warm Up, which chronicled his story of growing up in Jamaica.Other media
In 2007, Evans made a comeback to TV, advertising his all new BLT workout. The exercise video was shot on location at various locations around Jamaica and was directed by Benjamin Earl Evans. The video focused on the bums, legs and tums areas, and combined dance steps and original music composed by Jamaican native Ross Cassa.In 2010, Evans appeared as Mr Motivator at the 2010 Bestival on the Isle of Wight as a special guest on the main stage. He performed a fitness routine while encouraging the crowd to join in and generally increase the amount of exercise they do and their enjoyment of doing it. Evans has made numerous such appearances since, including Reading Festival and Truck Festival, at which he has performed every year since 2016.
In June 2014, the BBC announced that Evans would compete on a new Saturday gymnastics competition programme Tumble. In July 2014, it was announced that he had withdrawn from the programme after dislocating his knee, necessitating surgery, and would be replaced by actor Peter Duncan.
In 2016, Evans appeared as "Mr Motivator" on Lorraine, where he was interviewed by his old GMTV friend Lorraine Kelly, discussing his new book titled The Warm Up. He also appeared on the BBC documentary Back in Time for the Weekend discussing 1990s exercise trends.
Return to television
In 2020 he joined BBC television's HealthCheck UK Live to "keep Britain fit in lockdown" during the COVID-19 pandemic, in line with the resurgence in home-based workout routines.In May 2020 he is set to join Ideal World live everyday at 12pm for a workout routine all in aid of AgeUK
Personal life
Evans lives with his wife Sandra Palmer and youngest daughter Abigail in St Ann, Jamaica, dividing his time between Jamaica and the United Kingdom. In addition to his media, motivational and fitness work, Evans and his son James own and operate H'Evans Scent, an ecotourism resort, and PaintSplat, Jamaica's first paintball operation. He has been married three times amd has previously been in a relationship with Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson.Charity work
In 2007, Evans presented Move It For MS, an exercise DVD for people with multiple sclerosis produced by the MS Trust. He described working with people with MS as "One of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Movement and exercise makes people feel good, valued and puts a smile on everyone's face."In 2009, Evans started supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer joining the Breakthrough Running Club as a celebrity expert, helping motivate runners of all standards.
On 12 June 2009, Evans entertained the crowds at the Manchester Midnight Walk in aid of St Ann's Hospice, performing routines and then starting the walk off at midnight.
In 2020 Evans was helping a charity called Help4Harry which helps a boy with muscular dystrophy.