He’s known for getting people up and moving with his rousing fitness routines, but Mr Motivator has proved he also knows how to lift our spirits with an inspirational speech.
The fitness instructor, who rose to fame for his appearances on the breakfast show GMTV from 1993 before helping to keep us fit during the pandemic, was one of six celebrities who appeared on the special Queens for the Night on Saturday.
Hosted by television queen herself, Lorraine Kelly, Mr Motivator, Simon Gregson, George Shelley, Chris Hughes, Adam Woodyatt and Joe Marler, were paired with their very own drag mentor as they unleashed their own drag alter-egos in an attempt to master the art form.
For Mr Motivator, whose real name is Derrick Errol Evans, the experience of transforming into Proteina Turner was one that had a bigger impact than he first expected.
‘You know what, I’m having the time of my life,’ he said following his performance.
‘When you step out of your comfort zone and do something you’ve never done and you get support, it’s just wonderful.
‘We tend to judge people don’t we? But until you walk in their shoes you don’t know what it’s like and for me at my age of almost 70, doing this is just great.
‘So I say be crazy, be weird, be wonderful, whatever, because life is too short to be anything but happy.’
People watching along at home couldn’t get enough, declaring that the world ‘needs more people’ like him.
Being paired with Asttina Mandella, Mr Motivator performed Cher’s Strong Enough while wearing a gold mini dress with a dance routine that impressed the judges.
Courtney Act said she loved the performance and it was ‘wonderful’.
Mr Motivator: @MrMotivator “we judge people & until we walk in their shoes we dont know what it is like”
i love Mr Motivator! â¥ï¸
— Ciara Lawrence (@ciarale01) November 5, 2022
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i wasnâ€
— kate (@whybotherswim2) November 5, 2022
Didn’t expect to be crying on a sat night at @MrMotivator in drag. That Queen fully broke me… so good ðŸ‘ðŸ‘ðŸ‘ðŸ
— LJStewart âš« (@LornaJStewart) November 5, 2022
Fellow judge, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’s Layton Williams, said: ‘No shade here, but you’re literally older than my grandad, but he would not be able to do that.’
‘I think it’s so important in life to keep pushing yourself and you show that you can do that at any age,’ Mel C added.
Meanwhile, comedian Rob Beckett, who was also on the judging panel, said what unfolded might have been ‘the best thing I’ve ever seen.’
‘I’ve never been so motivated in my life. It was so joyous to watch.’
As soon as Proteina finished, she said ‘you know what, I’m going to stay as Tina’.
While Mr Motivator lost out on winning the show to Coronation Street’s Simon Gregson, here’s hoping Proteina might make it back on our screens a second time.
Queens for a Night is streaming on the ITV Player.
You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.
