Derrick Errol Evans MBE, or as you may know him, “Mr Motivator”, was born on the 15th November 1952. He is a Jamaican-born British Fitness and Wellbeing Coach who rose to fame in 1993 through appearances on GMTV, the popular UK breakfast television show. He performed live fitness sessions on there whilst offering up tips and advice to the viewers. His fitness sessions were so popular that he went on to release a number of different fitness and workout videos during the 1990s.

Mr Motivator: Early Life

Derrick Evans was born in Manchester Parish, Jamaica, to a single mother who gave him away when he was just three months old. His adopted father was a farmer on a small farm in Jamaica. In 1961, when Derrick was 10 years old, his adopted family moved to Leicester in the UK where his father worked as a labourer in a knitwear firm.

His adoptive mother, Teresa, left the UK after only two years because of the climate, but his adoptive father stayed until Derrick was 17 years old. Derrick got his first job the same year where he worked for the East Midlands Gas Board in the customer complaints department. He then sold costume jewellery in high street shops and became financially secure.

Becoming a Fitness Instructor

It was in 1983 that Derrick taught exercise classes at a local church in Neasden, North West London. His classes became extremely 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 to appear on the breakfast show, GMTV and so Mr Motivator was born. Mr Motivator's workout tips continue to be a source of information worldwide.

Where did the name ‘Mr Motivator’ come from?

Derrick said the name Mr Motivator came from street performances that he, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan gave to crowds in shopping centres and streets. Apparently, Finnigan often shouted that Evans was a ‘motivator’ and the name stuck!

Getting onto GMTV

Evans found his fame on the widely popular British morning breakfast show GMTV in 1993 as "Mr Motivator". He was well-known for promoting health and fitness to the nation as a way of life. He would often be found performing live on-air fitness routines whilst wearing bright lycra coloured outfits; this soon caught on and became his signature look. His many appearances on GMTV led to Derrick becoming beloved by people all across the UK.

Mr Motivator’s popularity on the show led to the release of a number of different 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 ‘Bum, Legs & Tums’. He is reported to be the person to have sold the most fitness DVDs in the UK.

Moving to the Next Step

Mr Motivator left GMTV in 2000 and went back to Jamaica due to his daughter having breathing problems. After settling back down in Jamaica, Motivator then started up a tourism business called ‘H’Evans Scent’, which offers activities such as ziplining and paintballing. Motivator continued to make personal appearances at events in the UK for the following decade. After leaving GMTV, together with his son, Benjamin, Motivator formed his production company “Wicked Productions” and continued to release exercise and fitness videos.

Mr Motivator on a Mission

In 2007, Mr Motivator made a comeback to TV, advertising his new BLT workout. In 2009 Derrick Evans returned to GMTV as Mr Motivator for a three-week-long special to promote the public health programme Change4Life. While promoting the new health programme Derrick was able to meet then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

In June 2014, the BBC announced that Evans would compete on a new Saturday gymnastics competition programme entitled ‘Tumble’, but he had to withdraw from it after dislocating his knee and needing surgery. In 2016, Derrick released his autobiography, entitled ‘The Warm Up’ which told his story of growing up in Jamaica. The same year Derrick appeared on British talk show ‘Lorraine’ in promotion of his new book.

Mr Motivator: Family Life

Derrick Evans and wife, Sandra Palmer, live with their youngest daughter in St Ann, Jamaica. He divides his time between there and the UK. Derrick has been married three times and has previously been in a relationship with Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson. Derrick and Sandra are a power couple and have released online videos working out together. The two are leading the way in revolutionising exercise.

Mr Motivator Returns to TV

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with the huge surge of home-based workouts, Mr Motivator joined BBC television’s HealthCheck UK Live to help “keep Britain fit in lockdown”. In May of the same year, he joined Ideal World live every day at 12pm for a workout routine all in aid of AgeUK. Derrick was then appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to health and fitness.

Where is Mr Motivator Now?

The fitness legend released a new programme called 'Daily Dozen Workout' in Summer 2021 and continues working on improving people's relationship with exercise globally. With an active presence both online and in the fitness world, everyone will follow Mr Motivator on his goals. You can now also get motivational messages or a shout-out for any occasion on Thrillz now.… show more