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Mr Motivator | |
|---|---|
| Born | Derrick Errol Evans (1952-11-15)15 November 1952 (age 73) Manchester Parish, Jamaica |
| Occupation(s) | Fitness instructor andmotivational speaker |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Known for | Mr Motivator exercise routines onGMTV |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | mrmotivator |
Derrick Errol EvansMBE (born 15 November 1952), better known asMr Motivator, is a Britishfitness instructor. He rose to fame in 1993 through appearances on the UKbreakfast television showGMTV, where he performed live fitness sessions and offered tips and advice to viewers. Following the rise in popularity of his fitness sessions, he released a number of fitness and workout videos in the 1990s.
Evans was born on 15 November 1952 inManchester Parish,Jamaica, to a single mother who gave him away when he was three months old.[1] His adoptive father, Stanford Rose,[2] was a farmer on a small farm in Jamaica.[citation needed] In 1961, his adoptive family moved toLeicester in the UK, where his father worked as a labourer in a knitwear factory.[2] His mother, Teresa, left the UK after two years because of the climate, but his adoptive father stayed until Evans was 17.[2]
Evans' first job at 17 was working for the East Midlands Gas Board in the customer complaints department.[2] He sold costume jewellery in high street shops and became financially secure.[3]
In 1983, he taught exercise classes at a church hall inNeasden, North West London. His classes became popular and he was asked by theBritish Heart Foundation to give classes throughout the country. He applied repeatedly to be taken on by ITV and In 1992 he was recommended to the producer of the Thames TV health education series the Full Treatment, where he appeared giving fitness advice for one series. In 1993, Peter Mchugh hired him for the breakfast showGMTV.[1]
Evans said the name Mr Motivator came from street performances he,Richard Madeley andJudy Finnigan gave to crowds in shopping centres and streets. Finnigan shouted that Evans was a motivator and the name stuck.[1]
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 (as Mr Motivator) well known in the UK.[4] Evans' popularity on GMTV led to the release of a number of fitness videos includingMr. Motivator's 10 Minute BLTs,Mr. Motivator's 10 Minute Workouts,Body Conditioner: Shot in Barbados,BLT2: Shot in Australia, andBums Legs & Tums. He is reported to have sold the most fitness DVDs in the UK.[1]
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 asziplining andpaintballing.[1] 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.[citation needed]
In 2009, Evans returned to GMTV as Mr Motivator for a three-week-long special to promote thepublic health programmeChange4Life.[5] This led to Evans meeting the thenBritish Prime Minister,Gordon Brown, in promotion of theNHSChange4Life campaign. Evans also released in 2016 his autobiographyThe Warm Up, which chronicled his story of growing up inJamaica.
In June 2014, the BBC announced that Evans would compete on a new Saturday gymnastics competition programmeTumble,[6] but he had to withdraw after dislocating his knee, necessitating surgery.[7]
Since 2015, Evans has performed fitness routines on stage at the annualY Not Festival held inPikehall,Derbyshire.[8]
In 2016, Evans appeared onLorraine to promote his new book titledThe Warm Up.[9]
In 2020, he joined BBC television'sHealthCheck UK Live[10] to "keep Britain fit in lockdown"[11] during theCOVID-19 pandemic, in line with the resurgence in home-based workout routines. Evans also worked with in May 2020 performed live workouts onIdeal World for a workout routine all in aid ofAgeUK.[citation needed]
In February 2021, Evans announced a partnership with Umbrella Training, where Evans hosted a series of online exercise classes, titled "No MoreBanana Bread", to help support the mental and physical wellbeing of Umbrella Training'sapprentices, business partners and the widerhospitality industry.[12]
Also in February 2021, he recorded a special video message of support for Swindon's famous Oasis Leisure Centre, which permanently closed due to the pandemic.
In April 2021, Evans worked withColchester Borough Council and the Essex FaNs Network to deliver a series of online exercise classes for staff and residents in over 70 care homes throughout Essex.[13] Evans also joined British OlympiansGreg Rutherford,Nicola Adams, andKelly Smith in launching the 'Energy Fit for the Futurend' campaign by Smart Energy GB, which aimed at encouraging people to installsmart meters in their homes.[14]
In May 2021, Evans worked withOasis,The Children's Society andApplause for Thought for their "Body and Soul" campaign, which encouraged over 30,000 taking part in online workout routines inschools,performing arts colleges andcommunity centres across the United Kingdom.[15] As part of "Get Travelling Week", Evans worked withTTG andABTA to provide a series of online exercise classes, aimed at encouraging businesses in the tourism industry to focus on employee wellbeing.[16]
Later that month, Evans also provided a morning workout routine for people taking part inCentrepoint's STAY:UP campaign to raise money to support younghomeless people.[17]
Evans lives with his wife Sandra Palmer{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Helen |title=Literally PR authors – Derrick Evans – Mr Motivator – The Warm Up |url=http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Derrick-Evans---Mr-Motivator---The-Warm-Up.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113124737/http://www.literallypr.com:80/public_relations/file/Derrick-Evans---Mr-Motivator---The-Warm-Up.php |archive-date=13 January 2016 |access-date=2020-07-28 |website=Literally PR}}</ref> and has previously been in a relationship with Olympic javelin championTessa Sanderson.[18] Evans lost his 12-year-old grandchild tomeningitis in November 2021, saying "the past few months were the darkest of my life".
Evans was appointed Member of theOrder of the British Empire (MBE) in the2020 Birthday Honours for services to health and fitness.[19]
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