Mr. Motivator faced early career prejudice

Mr. Motivator was rejected from TV jobs because advertisers "didn\'t want a black man doing fitness".

The 67-year-old star - whose real name is Derrick Evans - was trying to break into broadcasting and even though he had links with presenters and producers, his "pleading" to get his big break was shunned due to racial prejudice.

He told BBC News: "I was training all the presenters, and a producer said they were going to bring in the keep fit association of Great Britain.

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"I pleaded with her to give me a chance to get on TV, and she said the advertisers didn\'t want a black man doing fitness on television."

He eventually got his big break on \'GMTV\' in 1993 but the fitness expert insisted his opportunities were still restricted.

He said: "I\'ve always really believed that if I just keep on working away, not carry a chip on my shoulder I\'d break through.

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"But it has been tough, even when you break through, you get the feeling that people don\'t give you the opportunities to grow."

And Mr. Motivator called on TV producers and other key media figures to end "tokenism" and nurture talent regardless of race.

He said: "We should be giving people the same opportunities and nurturing them and providing them with the right support mechanisms."

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Mr. Motivator moved to Leicester from Jamaica at the age of 10 and recalled facing racism at one of his first job interviews at a local knitwear firm.

He said: "I\'d spoken to the guy on the phone, I walked in and he asked me \'Why didn\'t you tell me you were black?\'.

"And I said to him, \'Because you didn\'t tell me you were white\'."

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And he experienced more overt racism after moving to London in 1973.

He said: "I was walking with a white girl under my arm, and people would look at me. I used to turn and wave."