Love on the Spectrum star Connor Tomlinson has revealed he will not return for the hit Netflix dating show’s upcoming fifth season.

The Emmy-winning U.S. series about the romantic lives of people on the autism spectrum recently launched its fourth season on the streaming service.

That will be the last to feature Tomlinson, who has become a fan favorite after joining the show three seasons ago.

“It is with humility and a heavy heart that I share I will not be partaking in Season 5,” Tomlinson told Variety. “I feel like three seasons is enough to tell my story and find love on my own time.”

He joked: “I’ve chosen to pass the torch to the next person who can make it as big as me.”

Tomlinson announced that he plans to pursue acting opportunities, adding: “Don’t worry about me — I’m still going to be in the acting business, especially voice work. I’ve always been a huge fan of animation and would love to be involved with a TV show.”

Love on the Spectrum, which is based on an Australian series of the same name, has won plaudits since first airing on Netflix in 2022.

The original series was also a hit with critics, with CNN writing that the programme featured “empathy towards the featured players without [being] condescending towards them.”

The Boston Herald took a somewhat less positive approach, writing: “Love on the Spectrum has its share of genre clichés it could do without… The wrong kind of slickness has a way of working against the authenticity grain.”

However, the review added: “Unlike Tiger King or The Bachelor, or certain real-life political reality shows that lost touch with the real world a long time ago, Love on the Spectrum is about empathy. And about something more interesting than contempt.”

Ready Steady Cut described the series as “heartwarming.”

Last April, one of the show’s stars James B Jones condemned Robert F Kennedy Jr’s comments about autism, describing his remarks as “extremely ignorant” and “downright offensive.”

Donald Trump’s health secretary has claimed that autistic children will never pay taxes or go on dates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that the number of children diagnosed with autism is on the rise because of improved diagnostic tools, not because of what has been described as an “epidemic.”

Jones hit out at RFK Jr’s claims, reiterating: “I am a fully functional, productive member of society. And yes. I have autism, I am neurodiverse.”