Mr Motivator says people take criticism about their weight ‘too personally’ if they are told to get in shape as he says Brits have ‘become lazy’

He rose to fame as the man who got the nation moving.

But Mr Motivator thinks that people now take criticism about their weight ‘too personally’, despite the fact levels of diabetes and obesity have ‘gone through the roof’.

The fitness fanatic, 71, who featured on GMTV throughout the 1990s performing exercise routines, said back then you could ‘prod’ someone’s belly and tell them they needed to shape up.

But today people are too sensitive about their size and complain that they have been fat-shamed if they’re told to get in shape, he said.

Speaking on the Loose Ends podcast, he said in the body positivity era everyone believes they have the right ‘to be any size you want to be’.

Mr Motivator was an 80s icon who rose to fame as the man who got the nation moving

Mr. Motivator – as he appeared in the 1980’s

Born Derrick Evans and known for his unitards and colourful spandex outfits, Mr Motivator said levels of diabetes and obesity have ‘gone through the roof’ because Brits spend too much time in front of the TV.

He said: ‘In those days you could actually say someone was fat if you wanted to, no one really took it that personal.

‘You could prod someone in the belly and say “you need to deal with that”, but we’re talking about the early 90s.

‘Now, times have changed you don’t do that because everybody should have the right to be any size you want to be.

‘But I believe my job is to say to you “listen, you can be a size 20 if you want, but you can be a fit 20”.’

He said that he has always liked to ‘dress it up in sugary coating’ and make getting into shape ‘bright and colourful’ and ‘fun’.

He added: ‘Our obesity levels, our diabetes levels in this country have gone through the roof.

‘It’s gone through the roof because people have become lazy, we spend too much time in front of the television, we don’t actually think about the fact that we’re a wonderful specimen and we need to look after that.

‘So, my drive now is to say, “listen I’m 71 years of age and as far as I’m concerned I want to be the living example of someone who is going over the hill but picking up speed”.’