Rainbow warrior
Mr Motivator on why he’s still bringing positivity into our living rooms and the technicolour secret to his success
DERRICK Evans – or Mr Motivator – has been getting the nation active since Joe Wicks was a nipper.
Joe’s online fitness classes have been a lifeline during the pandemic but Derrick burst onto our screens on GMTV in the 90s in his neon Lycra.
Then as now, his upbeat positivity made people feel good.
But the 68-year-old star reckoned if it wasn’t for those colourful outfits he wouldn’t be talking to us.
He said: “The great American poet Maya Angelou once said, ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel’ - and something I always do is try to make people feel good. Colours are all part of the picture of Mr Motivator.
“If I’d got on television all those years ago just in black shorts and a white top, I would not be speaking with you today.”
Born in Jamaica in the 50s to a single mother, Derrick was adopted as a baby. Aged 10, he moved to the UK, as his adoptive father had come over to work in Leicester. His mother came over too, but soon went back, followed by his father a few years later. By the age of 17, Derrick was here alone.
He’s talked about experiencing racism, and homelessness for a while in the early 70s as a young single dad after moving to London.
“When you’ve been hungry and homeless, you value everything that’s good in your life,” said the dad-of-four, who now lives in Manchester with his wife Sandra Palmer.
“When you’re my age, you’ve been through the university of life; there aren’t many pandemics you haven’t seen already. “Ask any older person. The days when I was waiting to find somewhere to sleep or I was hungry – those are pandemics to some degree. “There’s a beginning point you can’t predict, and an end point you can’t predict, but you have to keep believing that in the end, you will get through it.” He feels “fitter than ever” with plenty of fuel in the tank (“One day those batteries might run out, but not yet!”) and a new venture he’s glad to be getting his teeth into. Derrick recently launched The Club, an online hub aimed at older people and those looking for more alternative and accessible fitness solutions.
Alongside a range of exercise programmes, including chair workouts, Pilates and strength sessions, members get expert advice on “sensible eatin”’ and mental wellbeing. It’s about tackling loneliness too, creating a community – and even people starting from scratch, who can perhaps only manage a few minutes of activity sat in a chair, are very welcome.
New members complete a questionnaire, so they can be matched with workouts and advice that best suit them.
Mr Motivator, in chats about the online club, has found people all over the world want to know the same thing:
“How can I pick myself up? If I feel like I’m coming to the edge, how do I pull myself back?”
His advice? “Learn to unplug the computer. Learn to enjoy the quality of life. Learn to enjoy the time you now have,” among other nuggets.
He believes the pandemic has been an opportunity to re-evaluate what’s really important, especially in terms of “looking out for each other” and realising we don’t actually need all that much.
He said: “This last year has made every single person out there realise chasing for that other television set you can’t possibly watch, that other car you can’t drive, is not that important. Your wish list has been all the things money can’t buy.”
For him, only four things have really mattered. “One is the roof over my head. Food in the fridge – these are all wonderful blessings. Number three is your health, and the fourth thing is love.
“And who you love and who loves you is your business, but if you love each other, do it unconditionally. And if you don’t have anyone who loves you, look in the mirror and love you.”
mrmotivatorsclub.com
Unplug the computer. Learn to enjoy the quality of life and the time you now have