He’s now worth an estimated $100million, but fame and fortune didn’t come easy for Steve Harvey.

The 59-year-old has given a candid interview in the new issue of People magazine, recalling the three years when he was homeless.

Steve would sleep in his Ford Tempo car and wash in sinks at gas stations or hotels, stealing fuel when he needed to get to comedy gigs.

‘That was an ugly period, just very painful,’ he told the magazine. ‘Everybody has a moment when they turn back, when you say to yourself, “This is too much.” I had it on several occasions.’

Steve recalled one particular occasion when he had to hide in a bathroom stall at a hotel for hours before he was able to wash the soap off his body.

‘I sat down and started crying, but a voice said, “If you keep going, I’m going to take you places you’ve never been.” It was like God said, “Don’t quit, you’re almost there,”’ he remembered.

Steve quit his job as an insurance salesman in his late twenties after winning a stand-up contest in order to pursue his dream of becoming a comedian.

As a result, his marriage fell apart and he rarely saw his two eldest children, but would send his family the majority of his little earnings, leading to him living out of his car.

But after landing a spot performing on Showtime At The Apollo in 1993, Steve’s life turned around.

Nowadays, the Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man author – who hosts Family Feud and has an eponymous daytime talk show – has riches beyond his wildest dreams.

‘It kills me when I hear very successful people say, “I always knew I would get here.” I didn’t,’ he shared to People.

‘I always hoped I would get somewhere, but this is above and beyond. My imagination didn’t even go this big.’

And Steve revealed that he ensures he is constantly working because he never wants to be homeless again.

While the funnyman may not have much free time these days, he has a huge fortune and a happy family life with wife of nine years Marjorie.

The couple have seven children between them from previous marriages, and Steve shared that his eldest daughters Brandi and Karli, now 33, have forgiven him for leaving when they were children.

‘Years later they said to me, “Dad, we didn’t understand why you left us, but we know now you had to go. You didn’t just belong to us. You belonged to the world.” That was emotional for me,’ he told People.

Steve Harvey’s interview features in the new issue of People magazine, which hits newsstands on Friday.