‘What a special girl’: Michael Owen gushes over daughter Gemma after second place finish in Love Island

Michael Owen has shared a sweet message following the Love Island final, in which he praises his daughter Gemma after she finished runner-up with partner Luca Bish.

The pair joined couples Indiyah & Dami and Andrew & Tasha in the final public vote, but fan favourites Ekin-Su and Davide were crowned Love Island champions.

Gemma’s father took to Instagram to congratulate her on the second-place finish.

The former England footballer shared a photo of himself alongside Gemma with the caption: "What a special girl. So proud of you, @gemowen_1. Now get home as we’ve all missed you."

Almost 40,000 people liked the post, with many agreeing that Michael should be proud of his daughter.

Gemma Owen

Gemma is the daughter of ex-premiership and England striker Michael Owen.

Gemma is an international dressage rider, who has competed in the field for Great Britain since she was 11.

She is also a business owner and launched her brand OG Beachwear earlier this year.

Before her stint in the villa, she said she is very competitive and always goes for what she wants.

She said: "Sport has always been a big thing for me and my family. My dad 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 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."

• Gemma Owen is 19 years old and is from Chester

• She currently has 1.2M followers on Instagram, making her one of the most popular contestants.

• Gemma is a dressage rider and recently competed in the 2021 European Championships.

• Her horse is named after the fictional Harry Potter character, Sirius Black.

Speaking with Sky Sports’ At The Races , Michael Owen confirmed that he would not be visiting Gemma in the villa, saying his wife ‘will do that duty’.

He said: "I’ll represent the horses, and she’ll represent the daughter.

"I don’t know what I’ll get from Box To Box. 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."

Connections

Billy Brown

The 23-year-old from Surrey works as a roofing company director at a business called The Roofing Company Inc Ltd.

He was a contestant on this year’s Love Island and made his debut in Casa Amor.

Billy was already known to Gemma before entering the Love Island villa as the pair have mutual friends.

Gemma said: “One of my best mate boy mates on the outside is his best mate.”

Jacques O’Neill

Jacques O’Neill is from Cumbria and works as a professional rugby league player.

The 23-year-old appeared on this year’s series of Love Island.

Before his entrance, it was revealed that he is the ex-boyfriend of Gemma Owen.

They were together for around eight months and broke up a year and a half ago.

Chris Hughes

The 29-year-old from Gloucestershire is an actor, model and television personality best known for his appearance in the third series of Love Island.

He now works as a sports broadcaster covering cricket for the BBC and horse racing on ITV.

Chris first became friends with the Owen family after meeting footballer Michael on the Crystal Maze TV show, and they regularly see each other at the horse racing circuit.

Chris revealed that he gave some advice to Gemma before she entered the Love Island Villa.