As his CBeebies alter ego Mr Tumble, Justin Fletcher entertains millions of children daily, but the star has long hoped for children of his own. Now, at 55, he has attained his own version of the happily ever after that punctuates each episode of his television juggernaut.
Justin has found love with his co-star Samantha Dorrance, 34, and the couple have been quietly living together at his £2.5 million country mansion in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire. A decade ago, the story was very different for Justin, a self-confessed workaholic who admitted he had spent 20 years prioritising his career over relationships.
The man behind the longest-running CBeebies show of all time has poured all his focus into Mr Tumble, who first appeared on screens in 2004. Since then, Justin has created a brand believed to have amassed him a net worth of over £1.5 million. Sales of his Something Special DVDs alone are understood to have topped 100,000, bringing in an estimated £1 million, while an accompanying magazine is said to generate another £180,000 a month. He has invested much of that fortune into his idyllic six-bedroom house and farm, which he now shares with Samantha.
Famously single for years, any mention of a romantic or personal life in interviews saw Justin stick to jokes about receiving marriage proposals from smitten mums. However, he has always yearned for love. In a rare insight into his off-screen life, Justin told The Mirror in 2012 that he dreamed of having his own family one day. '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,' he explained. 'But 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.'
The star does seem to be making a conscious decision to slow down. Last year, he stepped back as the main presenter of his Bafta-award winning show Something Special, with new presenters Maddie Moate, Ben Cajee, and George Webster taking over. He is, of course, still working overtime playing Mr Tumble, Grandad Tumble, Lord Tumble, Fisherman Tumble, Baker Tumble, and Aunt Polly across episodes.
Samantha, meanwhile, is a co-star who has become more than just a valued colleague. The actress and singer-songwriter has been part of Justin's life since she landed the role of silly best friend Tootsie in The Tale of Mr Tumble in 2015, when she was just 23. Eleven years later, the pair are said to be an item, madly in love, and on tour together in his Justin Live: Justin Time to Rock! Tour. A source told the Daily Mail last week: 'Justin and Samantha are madly in love and couldn't be happier. Although there is an age gap, it isn't an issue between them. For Justin, Samantha is "the one". The farm is their sanctuary and where they both feel happiest. Friends know about the relationship, as well as their castmates on the tour.'
The source explained how their romance 'blossomed' last year, with Samantha moving into his six-bedroom house shortly after. On social media, Samantha refrains from tagging Justin but frequently shares photos from his house and refers to him as 'her partner'. In March, Samantha shared some new additions to their life together on the farm, gushing: 'Last year, me and my partner hatched our own chickens. I was making breakfast one morning and noticed all the eggs we had been buying from our local honesty box were fertilised. My partner just so happened to have an old incubator, so we dug it out.'
