Mr Motivator: from homeless to household name

Jamaican-born Derrick Evans also known as Mr Motivator is a fitness instructor who became famous in the 1990s for his TV appearances in the UK. But his journey to fame wasn’t easy. He was given up for adoption at just three months old, and when he moved to the UK in 1958 he faced bullying and racism. He only stumbled into fitness in his mid 20s, when he was struggling to find a job as a single dad in London – and he admits he’s learnt everything he knows from a book on aerobics. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, he made an extraordinary comeback to help people work out while in lockdown. Presenter: Emily Webb. Producer: Harry Graham. Picture: Derrick Evans a.k.a. Mr Motivator. Credit: BBC.