Brian Conley quipped about romance with his Strictly Come Dancing partner when he became the fourth celebrity to leave the series.

The comedian, 56, partnered with Amy Dowden, 26, was sent home by the judges after facing the dance-off against Sunday Brunch presenter Simon Rimmer, 54.

He joked about Dowden: “If I was only 30 years younger… and not fussy! Me and you, I am not kidding!

“I want her to be on this show forever and ever because I want everyone out there to know how special this lady is. She is a star and I love her to bits.”

Conley also joked about bonding with rival dancer Aston Merrygold on the BBC One show.

“There has been someone by my side all the way through this journey who has been just there every moment and that is… Aston! I love him and I am really going to miss him,” he said.

He said of his Strictly experience: “I have loved everything about this, I truly have. It’s one of the greatest shows.”

He added: “We’re going to pretend we’re still in it! So next week we are going to rehearse and then we will film it and our families are going to watch it and judge us on it.”

Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell both opted to save Rimmer and his dance partner Karen Clifton in Sunday’s results show and head judge Shirley Ballas said she would have made the same decision.

Amy Dowden at the launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2017 (Matt Crossick/PA)
Amy Dowden at the launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2017 (Matt Crossick/PA)

Revel Horwood said: “Both couples made mistakes in that, one fell-over and then the other one blanked before they went into a back-drop so it made it a really, really difficult choice. But the couple I am going to save just for that little bit of swivel is Simon and Karen.”

Dowden said: “I have had the most amazing time, I’ve got not just Brian but his entire family as friends for life and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Judge Bruno Tonioli, who missed the weekend due to a “busy work schedule”, returns to Strictly next week.

Chizzy Akudolu, Reverend Richard Coles and Charlotte Hawkins have previously been ejected from the show.