Who is Gemma Owen? Love Island 2022 star and Michael Owen's daughter
The England footballer's daughter entered the villa this season.
There are just minutes to go until we find out who our Love Island winners are – and Gemma Owen could be one of them, with the dressage rider making it to the final with Luca Bish.
The pair have made it all the way to the final after being in the competition and while they've had their ups and downs, Luca seems to have gotten the approval Michael Owen, as Gemma's mum Louise said during the Meet the Parents episode.
While it's now between them and Davide Sanclimenti and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, neither one of the couples will be able to steal the money this year after the classic twist was scrapped.
Read on to learn more about Gemma Owen and her Love Island experience so far.
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Gemma Owen - Key facts
Age: 19
From: Chester
Job: International dressage rider and business owner
Who is Gemma Owen coupled up with? Luca Bish – still!
Who is Gemma Owen's ex?
Jacques O’Neill – Gemma's rugby player ex-boyfriend – entered the Love Island villa halfway through the season.
The 23-year-old plays for Castleford Tigers in the Super League.
The player has made 29 appearances for the club since joining in 2019 and was named in England Knights' performance squad in 2021 – and is reported to have dated Gemma for about a year before splitting at some point in the last 12 months.
Who is Gemma Owen's dad?
Name: Michael Owen
Age: 42
Job: Former English footballer
Gemma Owen is the daughter of former England footballer Michael James Owen.
Michael played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as for the England national team.
Since retiring from football in 2013, he has become a racehorse breeder and owner and regularly features as a sports pundit and commentator.
Earlier this year, he appeared on The Masked Singer as the character Doughnuts.
Ahead of Love Island 2022, Gemma revealed that her dad wasn't happy she signed up for Love Island, saying: "I still wouldn't say he was buzzing about the fact. But he's very supportive with whatever I decide to do. He didn't have a massive tantrum or anything like that. It was pretty chilled. He sort of trusts me not to do anything and not to embarrass him or anything like that. So I guess he took it quite well."
During the first episode, Gemma didn't reveal to the other contestants who her dad is, however, Liam picked up that she knows a lot about football, asking if she'd dated a footballer.
Gemma previously told RadioTimes.com and other press that Michael wasn't at all happy she signed up.
Who is Michael Owen married to?
Michael Owen has been married to his childhood sweetheart Louise Bonshall since 2005. The pair met at primary school in 1984, and became a couple while at Hawarden High School in Flintshire, Wales.
They got engaged in 2004 on Valentine's Day, which is also Louise's birthday, and tied the knot a year later.
According to The Sun, Louise has been described as "not your typical WAG," and has a passion in rescuing horses.
The couple have four children together, including Gemma, who is the oldest.
They also have James Michael, Emily May and Jessica.
Why did Gemma Owen want to take part in Love Island?
Self-described as "fun, flirty and fiery", Gemma explained that she had been seeing someone but it didn't work out.
"I was seeing someone and then that didn’t work out so I thought, 'Why not?'," she explained of her reasons for joining Love Island.
She added: "I am open to finding love, I’m wanting to have a really fun summer."
Is Gemma on Instagram?
She absolutely is and you can find her @gemowen_1. 356K people have already done so, making her one of the most popular contestants on the platform from this year's line-up.
What is Gemma Owen looking for in a partner?
Gemma didn't define her type on paper before entering the villa, but she did talk about her competitive nature.
"Sport has always been a big thing for me and my family. My dad [Michael Owen] was a professional football player. I’ve competed for Great Britain in dressage since I was 11-years-old. I’ve travelled all across Europe competing in big arenas in big competitions. I would say I’m very competitive," she explained.
She added: "I will always go for what I want," she said. "But at the same time, I’m not going to mess up something for someone who is in a proper relationship or get in the way of a couple if they have a genuine connection. I wouldn’t do anything to another girl that I wouldn’t be happy with them doing to me."
New episodes of Love Island air at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub every day except Saturday. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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