Will Michael Owen appear on Love Island? Is ex-footballer dad to visit daughter Gemma in TV show special

Former footballer Michael Owen has revealed whether or not Love Island fans will see him on the reality dating show some point soon.

His daughter, Gemma Owen, has been appearing on the show for over a month and is going strong in her couple with Brighton fishmonger Luca Bish.

Every series of the show sees couples meet their partner’s parents in a special ‘meet the parents’ episode near to the end of the series.

Gemma and Luca are looking likely to reach the final stages of the show, and anticipation has been high to see Gemma’s famous dad walk through the doors of the Majorca villa.

So what has he said?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Will Michael Owen appear on Love Island?

The former Liverpool and Newcastle star has nipped in the bud any rumours that he will be appearing on the show.

While appearing on Sky Sports’ At The Races, Owen was questioned about his plans and said that Gemma’s mum Louise would be taking the reins in the villa.

He said: “My wife might do that duty.

“I’ll represent the horses and she can represent the daughter.”

While appearing their child on Love Island might be any parent’s worst nightmare, Owen, who is a keen horse racing fan, also said that he found watching his race horses more nerve-wracking than watching 19-year-old Gemma ont he reality show.

He said: “I think [the horse] will always run his race but I know what I’m going to get from my daughter.

“I’ve fathered her for 19 years so I’m pretty sure what I’m going to get from her.”

When is the Love Island ‘meet the parents’ epsiode on?

Meeting the parents is always an anxiety-inducing process for any new couple, and it’s even worse when your every move has been played out on television with millions of people watching at home.

Every year on Love Island, the lucky couples who make it to the final stages have the joy of meeting the parents of their partner on screen also.

It is often seen as the last step in our contestants securing their connection with their partner, with family members being able to give their blessing (or not in some cases) to their new pairing.

While there is no confirmed date for this to happen yet during series eight, if we follow previous years, the episode will either happen the week before the final, or during final week itself.

The show is said to run for eight weeks, meaning that the final could take place on 1 August.

Therefore, we can expect to see islanders meeting the parents in late July.

When is Love Island next on TV?

Love Island airs on ITV2 at 9pm each night.

If you’ve fallen behind in season eight of Love Island then do not panic - you can catch up on all episodes that have been aired so far on the ITV Hub.

It’s free to watch Love Island on the ITV Hub, however you will have to watch ads.

If you want to opt for an ad free watching experience then you can always go for ITV Hub+, which allows you to stream ITV content without adverts.

You can sign up for a seven day free trial and, after your free trial has expired, it will cost you either £3.99 per month or £39.99 per year.