BBC Mr Tumble star Justin Fletcher's huge net worth and why he never married

Mr Tumble is beloved by preschoolers around the country but just who is the man behind the character? Here's the low down on award-winning children's TV presenter Justin Fletcher

While the name Justin Fletcher isn't a household name, Mr Tumble is a bona fide superstar to young children.

The star's loveable character - not to mention his family, who include Grandad Tumble and Baby Tumble - has reigned supreme on preschool television for decades, with exhausted parents praising Justin for his ability to mesmerise their little ones.

The 54-year-old performer combines slapstick with warmth to great effect, fronting CBeebies shows including Gigglebiz and Justin's House. But he is perhaps best known for his affinity with kids with disabilities and special needs, crafting the popular programme Something Special especially for kids with communication difficulties, incorporating Makaton signs, speech and symbols throughout.

This week, after 12 series and five specials of Something Special, we learned Justin is taking a well deserved step back from the show, with presenters Maddie Moate, Ben Cajee and George Webster set to join in the fun.

Here's a closer look at the life of the star, who was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his services to broadcasting is estimated to be worth a whopping £1.5 million...

His loveable characters have turned into a multi-million-pound industry, with his Something Special DVD alone selling more than 100,000 copies, raking in more than £1million, and a magazine brings in around £180,000 a month.

The Bafta Children's Award-winner has also been the voice behind other TV characters, including Doodle and Jake in Tweenies, Miguel in Finley the Fire Engine, Sleeping Bear and Growling Tiger in CBeebies' Boo!, Shaun the Sheep and Harold from Thomas the Tank Engine. And it's not just the attention of children that he has stolen, but unmarried Justin has become a hit with mums.

Speaking to The Mirror in 2012, he admitted that he has endured some proposals from smitten mothers. "Er, yes, I have had emails," he said. "I’m not married, live alone and have been single for a while now because I've been a workaholic filming Something Special, Justin’s House and Gigglebiz."

Although he clearly has a busy work schedule, Justin has previously said that he would like to settle down and start a family of his own. He continued: "I do want to free up some time for myself and my family. I would love to have children so need to find someone who likes kids. A couple of kids would be lovely."

Justin had an impressive upbringing as he often found himself around famous musicians, which has inspired his characters in TV. He is the son of Guy Fletcher, who wrote songs for Cliff Richard, Ray Charles, The Hollies and even Elvis Presley. He added: "I was always brought up around musicians and we had a recording studio built onto the house. My character Cliff Tumble is a homage to Sir Cliff, who I've met a lot and is lovely, very charming.

"Dad wrote his Eurovision entry Power to All Our Friends. The biggest hit he wrote for Elvis was Just Pretend, which he used to perform in his Vegas shows. Pretty cool, really."