‘I’ve never borrowed a penny, not even a mortgage to put towards a house’

The man who started the dance fitness craze in Britain and Ireland decades ago is still bouncing around in dayglo spandex at the age of 67. Mr Motivator – aka Derrick Errol Evans – lived up to his moniker when he went from being homeless to a millionaire with a London mansion and an estate in Jamaica, where he is from. It all began with a chance meeting on a plane with TV presenter Eamonn Holmes, who unleashed him on daytime TV. Mr Motivator even got Gay Byrne jumping around his Late Late studio and he appears regularly at the Electric Picnic festival in Laois. He was recently in Dublin to do a fitness workshop for Irish Life Health. His autobiography, The Warm Up, is out now. What did your parents teach you about money?

That they didn’t have any. In Jamaica, where I was born, they were simple farmers living hand to mouth. They grew every shortterm crop under the sun, from potatoes to tomatoes and onions – food which we could consume as well as market.

I was 10 years old when I arrived in Britain. By then, my father was working as a labourer in a knitwear factory in Leicester. Money was tight. In my family, you wore your shoes until they squeezed you so tight it stopped the blood running.

We lived in a rented terraced house with an outdoor toilet, and shared the kitchen with another family. We always had enough for food though. No matter how poor we were, there was always a meal on the table. My parents knew that hunger can destroy the very essence of who you are.

Did your childhood affect your attitude to money?

It taught me to appreciate whatever money I had, and to be grateful for that. I knew I was lucky and that there were people who were less fortunate, homeless and struggling.

I also learned I should never borrow money. In my life, I have never borrowed to buy anything, not even a mortgage to buy a house. I learnt that from my dad. I never wanted anybody knocking on my door, the way they did on his, saying you’re late with your payments. If I don’t have enough to pay for it, I would prefer not to buy it.

Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

Yes, for about 10 years from the age of 17. The worst time was when I was 22 and my daughter was three years old. I was working, but I just couldn’t manage all my bills and we were made homeless. I remember waiting outside a homeless family unit in London, waiting for them to give me somewhere to stay. It was a horrible feeling at the time and I hated it.

For about nine months, we had nowhere to call home. We would go to the council each evening and they would allocate us a bed and breakfast to stay at with five or six other families. The next morning, we were never sure whether we would get to stay another night. It was really tough.

Have you ever been paid silly money?

Yes, it happens now. I can get paid €18,000 for giving a 20 or 30-minute talk. The biggest demand is from conferences because at 1.30pm everyone’s falling asleep after eating and drinking too much.

Normally there’s a surprise element where I’m hiding around the back. The director wants to make a speech, so stands up and says: ‘I need to wake you up, and there’s only one man who can do it.’ And in I bounce.

For 20 to 30 minutes, I’ll talk to them about surviving against all odds and tell them that they have got to believe in themselves – that they have the ability to be great, not mediocre.

By the time I leave, the music is pumping away and everybody’s on their feet.

What was the best year of your financial life?

It was 1994. I had started performing my fitness regimes on GMTV and suddenly everyone wanted me. I made two videos in one year and one of them went on to become the biggest selling video ever in the UK.

I think it still holds the record: around 1.5million copies were sold. I made so much money – a good sixfigure sum – that I was able to buy two houses in Harrow, North London, with cash.

What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun?

Probably a Range Rover. I don’t remember what model it was or how much I paid for it but I do remember it was black.

When you don’t need money or you are not going hungry, you tend not to think about what something costs you.

The best money decision you have made?

Buying the houses in Harrow. After I bought the first one, I purchased the one next door by making the owners an offer they couldn’t refuse. Then I knocked them together into a sevenbedroom house with a huge garden which I could play cricket in.

What is your biggest money mistake?

Selling that home. It was my first real home and it was a really happy one. We used to have wonderful parties there with fireworks in the garden. We decided to sell in 2003 because our daughter had breathing problems that we found went away when we travelled to Jamaica. So we decided to move there for her. I turned the house back into two separate homes before I sold up.

Do you invest directly in the stock market?

No. I’m not interested. I think it’s speculating. I don’t do any of that.

Do you own any property?

Yes, in Jamaica. It’s worth a couple of million pounds. We have about 30 acres of land up in the hills. There’s a six-bedroom house on the property, a seven-bedroom apartment and a three-bedroom house, as well as a business where we do zip-lining and paintballing.

What is the one little luxury you treat yourself to?

I love a really good meal. About once a month, I go to a local Italian restaurant I know where the food and the service is great. I’ll spend £300 on a meal for four.

What is your number one financial priority?

There’s an old saying: ‘Many a man has sacrificed his health in pursuit of wealth and then spent his wealth trying to regain his health – and all he found was a grave.’ That is so true. My financial priority is to invest in looking after myself and making sure I am as active as I can be.