Iain Stirling has admitted he would be surprised if girlfriend Laura Whitmore proposed to him.

The Scottish comedian, 32, said he knew he ought to view her making the move as “brilliant” but added that “old habits die hard”.

Stirling, who narrates Love Island, has been in a relationship with 35-year-old Whitmore, currently the ITV show’s main presenter, for three years.

He spoke during Loose Women’s first all-male panel to mark International Men’s Day, where he was joined by JLS star Marvin Humes, radio presenter Roman Kemp and singer Ronan Keating.

Laura Whitmore comments
Laura Whitmore (Lia Toby/PA)

Asked by Humes how he would feel if Whitmore proposed to him, he said: “It’s funny you should say that. I should immediately go, ‘That would be brilliant’.

“But again, there is an initial reaction as a man of like, ‘No’, but then I think it would be great, as long as she wanted to do that and it wasn’t her going, ‘Will you hurry this up please?’

“I think it’s whatever works for you as a couple.”

As the panel discussed whether men were still expected to make the first move, Stirling added: “Old habits die hard. There is still a pressure to be the one that initiates the conversation.

“There is always that awkward thing in a restaurant when it is time to pay. It’s that caveman, hunter-gatherer type thing.”

The panel also had discussions about male grooming, testicular cancer and mental health.