Doctor Malcolm Donaldson, the husband of The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, left a huge sum in his will following his passing last September

Doctor Malcolm Donaldson, the husband of The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, left a whopping sum in his will

Doctor Malcolm Donaldson, the husband of The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, left a whopping sum in his will after dying aged 75. Dr Donaldson was a paediatric consultant and senior lecturer in child health at the University of Glasgow until his retirement in 2012.

Following his retirement, he was made honorary senior research fellow at its School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing. He was given the nickname ‘Dr Gruffalo’ by those he treated at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

Dr Donaldson’s wife is The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson. She penned the book in 1999 and so far, it has sold a whopping 13.5 million copies. Now it has been revealed he left a huge sum to Julia and their family in his will following his death.

Probate documents have revealed that Dr Donaldson left an estate, which was valued at a huge £1,322,528. His will, written in 2020, said that he wanted his estate to go to his family.

Doctor Malcolm Donaldson died in September(Image: Daily Record)

At the time of his death, tributes flooded in for Dr Donaldson. The British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) said: ‘His contributions will continue to resonate in the field of paediatric endocrinology and child health in the UK, Europe and beyond for many years to come. His warmth, wisdom and gentle spirit will be deeply missed but forever remembered by all you knew him.”

Axel Scheffler, who illustrated the Gruffalo books, wrote in a tribute to Malcolm at the time of his death: “I have known Malcolm for 30 years and always admired his enthusiasm for our books, Julia’s work and children’s books in general.

“All this beside being a paediatric consultant and giving lectures all over the world. His true passion was performing with Julia on stage, playing the guitar and acting – especially his legendary suave role of the Fox in The Gruffalo. He will be deeply missed.”

In an interview last year, Julia quipped that the Gruffalo – the main character of her most famous work – “hogged the attention”. She said: “I think The Gruffalo’s the one everyone has heard of, even people who haven’t read the book.

“To be honest, what I like is when people single out one of my other books as their favourite as I think The Gruffalo’s a bit spoilt. He hogs too much of the attention really.”

She admitted she didn’t think the book would even get published, adding: “I didn’t really think it was going to get published. I had no idea. I had had quite a few rejections from other stories I’d written.”

Dr Donaldson was married to Julia for over five decades before his sad death in September last year.